Psychrolutes is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Psychrolutidae, the fatheads and toadfishes. Though found predominantly in the deep sea, a handful[2] of species are present in the intertidal regions of the North Pacific rim.[3] In June 2003, During the NORFANZ Expedition north-west of New Zealand, scientists trawled a specimen of P. microporos at a depth between 1,013 metres (3,323 ft) and 1,340 metres (4,400 ft) on the Norfolk Ridge.[4]
| Psychrolutes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Blob sculpin, Psychrolutes phrictus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Scorpaeniformes |
| Family: | Psychrolutidae |
| Genus: | Psychrolutes Günther, 1861 |
| Type species | |
| Psychrolutes paradoxus Günther, 1861[1] | |
| Species | |
See text | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Species
There are currently 11 recognized species in this genus:[5]
- Psychrolutes inermis (Vaillant, 1888)
- Psychrolutes macrocephalus (Gilchrist, 1904)
- Psychrolutes marcidus (McCulloch, 1926) (blobfish)
- Psychrolutes marmoratus (T. N. Gill, 1889)
- Psychrolutes microporos J. S. Nelson, 1995 (blobfish)
- Psychrolutes occidentalis R. Fricke, 1990 (Western Australian sculpin)
- Psychrolutes paradoxus Günther, 1861 (Tadpole sculpin)
- Psychrolutes phrictus Stein & C. E. Bond, 1978 (blob sculpin)
- Psychrolutes sigalutes (D. S. Jordan & Starks, 1895) (soft sculpin)
- Psychrolutes sio J. S. Nelson, 1980
- Psychrolutes subspinosus (A. S. Jensen, 1902)
Catalog of Fishes classifies Gilbertidia as a synonym of Pyschrolutes,[6] but FishBase treats it as a valid genus.[7]