Agonidae is a family of small, bottom-dwelling, cold-water marine fish. Common names for members of this family include poachers, Irish lords, sea ravens, alligatorfishes, starsnouts, hooknoses, and rockheads. They are notable for having elongated bodies covered by scales modified into bony plates, and for using their large pectoral fins to move in short bursts. The family includes about 59 species in some 25 genera, some of which are quite widespread.
Bathyagonus is a genus of poachers native to the Pacific Ocean.
The Gilbert's garden eel, also known as the Gilbert's conger and the sharpnose conger, is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by James Douglas Ogilby in 1898, originally under the genus Congrellus. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including the Gulf of California, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Colombia. It is a benthic and nocturnal species, and inhabits sand flats in reefs, bays and coves at a depth range of 1–100 metres. It burrows into sand during the day and emerges to forage during the night. Males can reach a maximum total length of 27 centimetres.
The smallfish snake eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Charles Henry Gilbert in 1890. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern central Pacific Ocean, including Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, the Gulf of California and Costa Rica. It dwells in shallow waters at a maximum depth of 20 metres (66 ft), and inhabits sand and rock sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 70 centimetres (28 in).
The southern spearnose poacher is a fish in the family Agonidae. It was described by Charles Henry Gilbert in 1898, originally under the genus Averruncus. It is a marine, subtropical fish which is known from the eastern central Pacific Ocean, including California, USA to Baja California, Mexico. It dwells at a depth range of 42 to 91 metres, and inhabits soft benthic sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 15 centimetres (5.9 in).
The northern spearnose poacher, also known as the window-tailed sea-poacher or the windowtail poacher, is a fish in the family Agonidae. It was described by David Starr Jordan and Charles Henry Gilbert in 1880, originally under the genus Agonus. It is a marine, temperate water-dwelling fish which is known from the eastern Pacific Ocean, including southeastern Alaska to southern California, USA. It dwells at a depth range of 0 to 163 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 20 centimetres (7.9 in).
The sturgeon poacher, also known as the sturgeon-like sea-poacher in Canada, is a fish in the family Agonidae. It was described by Wilhelm Gottlieb Tilesius von Tilenau in 1813. It is a marine, temperate water-dwelling fish which is known from the northern Pacific Ocean, including the western Bering Sea, Cape Navarin, the Commander Islands, the Sea of Okhotsk, the Aleutian Islands, and northern California, USA. It dwells at a depth range of 2 to 710 metres, and inhabits soft benthic sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 30.5 centimetres (12.0 in).
The sawback poacher is a species of fish in the family Agonidae. It was described by Charles Henry Gilbert in 1896, originally under the genus Odontopyxis. It is a marine, temperate water-dwelling fish which is known from the northern Pacific Ocean, including Japan, the Gulf of Anadyr, the Bering Sea, the Aleutian chain, and British Columbia, Canada. It dwells at a depth range of 18 to 975 metres, and inhabits soft sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 27 centimetres (11 in).
The longnose poacher is a fish in the family Agonidae. It was described by Charles Henry Gilbert in 1896, originally under the genus Odontopyxis. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling fish which is known from the northern Pacific Ocean, including the Bering Sea, southeastern Alaska, northern Japan, the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk. It dwells at a depth range of 20 to 460 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 25 centimetres (9.8 in).
the smooth alligatorfish, also known as the smooth poacher or the smooth sea-poacher,) is a fish in the family Agonidae. It was described by Albert Günther in 1860. It is a marine fish which dwells in temperate waters, and is known from the northern Pacific Ocean, including California, USA, and possibly Korea. It dwells at a depth range of 8–102 metres, usually around rocks. Males can reach a maximum total length of 15 centimetres.
The gray starsnout, also known as the gray starsnout poacher in the United States, is a fish in the family Agonidae. It was described by Charles Henry Gilbert in 1896. It is a marine, temperate water-dwelling fish which is known from the eastern Pacific Ocean, from the coast of the Bering Sea in Alaska, to the Oregon-California border. It dwells at a depth range of 18–252 metres, and inhabits rocky areas. Males can reach a maximum total length of 13 centimetres.
The spinycheek starsnout is a fish in the family Agonidae. It was described by Charles Henry Gilbert in 1904.
The blackfin poacher, also known as the blackfin starsnout poacher in the United States, is a fish in the family Agonidae. It was described by Charles Henry Gilbert in 1890. It is a marine, boreal water-dwelling fish which is known from the northern Pacific Ocean, including Komandorski Island and Avachin Bay in Russia, St. Mathew Island in the Bering Sea, and Eureka, California, USA. It dwells at a depth range of 18–1290 metres, most often at around 400–700 m, and inhabits soft bottoms. It is known to live for a maximum of 9 years. Males can reach a maximum total length of 24.2 centimetres, but more commonly reach a TL of 20 cm.
The blacktip poacher is a fish in the family Agonidae. It was described by Charles Henry Gilbert in 1890. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling fish which is known from British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico, in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 18–400 metres, and inhabits soft benthic sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 19 centimetres.
The smooth-eye poacher is a fish in the family Agonidae. It was described by Charles Henry Gilbert in 1915. It is a marine, Temperate water-dwelling fish which is known from southern British Columbia, Canada to southern California, USA, in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 37–399 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 24 centimetres.
The Stripefin poacher is a fish in the family Agonidae. It was described by Charles Henry Gilbert in 1915. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling fish which is known from the eastern central Pacific Ocean, including southern California, USA; Baja California, Mexico; and an isolated population in the Gulf of California. It dwells at a depth range of 183–366 metres, and inhabits soft benthic sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 16 centimetres.
The bluespotted poacher is a fish in the family Agonidae. It was described by Charles Henry Gilbert in 1890, originally in the genus Xenochirus. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling fish which is known from British Columbia, Canada to northern central Baja California, Mexico, in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 73–373 metres, and inhabits soft benthic sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 18 centimetres.
The Bering poacher is a fish in the family Agonidae. It was described by Wilhelm Gottlieb Tilesius von Tilenau in 1813, originally in the genus Agonus. It is a marine, temperate water-dwelling fish which is known from the northern Pacific Ocean, including Kotzebue Sound, the northern Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk, Akun Island, and the Gulf of Alaska. It dwells at a depth range of 0–325 metres. Males can reach a maximum standard length of 21.6 centimetres.
The fourhorn poacher, also known as the four-horned sea-poacher, is a fish in the family Agonidae. It was described by Achille Valenciennes in 1829, originally under the genus Aspidophorus. It is a marine, temperate water-dwelling fish which is known from the northern Pacific Ocean, including the Sea of Okhotsk, the Sea of Japan, the Bering Sea, the Kuril Islands, and Washington, USA. It is non-migratory, and dwells at a depth range of 0 to 452 metres, most often at around 100 to 150 metres. It inhabits sediments of sand and gravel. Males can reach a maximum total length of 12 centimetres (4.7 in), but more commonly reach a TL of 10 centimetres (3.9 in). The maximum recorded weight is 24 grams (0.053 lb), and the maximum recorded age is 7 years.
The dragon poacher is a fish in the family Agonidae. It was described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1769, originally under the genus Cottus. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling fish which is known from the northern Pacific Ocean, including the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the Bering Sea. It dwells at a depth range of 19 to 750 metres, and inhabits gravel, sand and mud sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 42 centimetres (17 in).
