Taxonomy

Animalia

Chordata

Actinopterygii

Scorpaeniformes

Hexagrammidae

Six-line Scorpionfish-form Ray-finned-fishes Possessing-a-chord Animals

The family of marine fishes Hexagrammidae incorporates the greenlings. These fish are found on the continental shelf in the temperate or subarctic waters of the North Pacific. They are a well-known family in the littoral zone from southern California north to the Aleutian Islands. The most commercially important species is the lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus), a common food fish.

Most hexagrammids are small to moderate in size, averaging around 50 cm, although the lingcod can be much larger. Like many other scorpaeniform species, they have broad, spiny pectoral, dorsal, and anal fins. They are scavengers but also catch and eat small fish and bottom-dwelling animals such as crabs. They can be found off rocky shorelines, in kelp beds, and, especially during spawning, in shallow inlets and tidepools.

Hexagrammidae. Retrieved May, 08 2021, from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexagrammidae.