Alligatorfish

The Alligatorfish (Aspidophoroides monopterygius, also known commonly as the Aleutian alligatorfish and the Atlantic alligatorfish[2]) is a fish in the family Agonidae (poachers).[3] It was described by Marcus Elieser Bloch in 1786.[4] It is a marine, temperate water-dwelling fish which is known from the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, including western Greenland; Labrador, Canada; and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA. It dwells at a depth range of 0–695 metres, most often around 60–150 m, and inhabits sand and mud bottoms mostly on the lower continental shelf all year. It prefers a temperature range of -1.07 to 2.52 °C. Males can reach a maximum total length of 22 centimetres, but more commonly reach a TL of 14.2 cm.[3]

Alligatorfish
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Scorpaeniformes
Family:	Agonidae
Genus:	Aspidophoroides
Species:	A. monopterygius
Binomial name
Aspidophoroides monopterygius (Bloch, 1786)
Synonyms[1]
Cottus monopterygius Bloch, 1786 Cottus indicus Bonnaterre, 1788 Aspidophoroides tranquebar Lacepède, 1801 Aspidophoroides groenlandicus Valenciennes, 1840 Aspidophoroides borealis Valenciennes, 1841 Aspidophoroides bartoni Gilbert, 1896

The Alligatorfish is preyed on by the Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) and the Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis).[5] Its own diet consists primarily of benthic crustaceans and bottom fauna.[6]

References

1. Synonyms of Aspidophoroides monopterygius at www.fishbase.org.
2. Common names for Aspidophoroides monopterygius at www.fishbase.org.
3. Aspidophoroides monopterygius at www.fishbase.org.
4. Bloch, M. E., 1786 [ref. 465] Naturgeschichte der ausländischen Fische. Berlin. v. 2: i-viii + 1-160, Pls. 145-180.
5. Organisms preying on Aspidophoroides monopterygius at www.fishbase.org.
6. Food items reported for Aspidophoroides monopterygius at www.fishbase.org.