Cottidae
The Cottidae are a family of fish in the superfamily Cottoidea, the sculpins. It is the largest sculpin family, with about 275 species in 70 genera.[1] They are referred to simply as cottids to avoid confusion with sculpins of other families.[1]
Cottids are distributed worldwide, especially in boreal and colder temperate climates.[1] The center of diversity is the northern Pacific Ocean.[1] Species occupy many types of aquatic habitats, including marine and fresh waters, and deep and shallow zones. A large number occur in near-shore marine habitat types, such as kelp forests and shallow reefs. They can be found in estuaries and in bodies of fresh water.[1]
Most cottids are small fish, under 10 cm (3.9 in) in length.[2] The species Scorpaenichthys marmoratus can be up to 78 cm (31 in) in length.[3] They vary in coloration and patterning between species and between individuals of some species, and sometimes between sexes.[1] Their eyes are large and placed high on the head. Adults lack swim bladders.[3]
