Home · Zoarcidae · Wattled eelpout
Wattled eelpout (Lycodes palearis) — Zoarcidae

Wattled eelpout

Lycodes palearis
Family: Zoarcidae
LC · Least Concern

The Wattled eelpout (Lycodes palearis) is a saltwater fish of the family Zoarcidae that grows up to 51 cm.

Length
51 cm
Water
Saltwater
Depth
25.0–925.0 m
Diet
Carnivore
Behaviour
Solitary
Activity
Nocturnal
Body shape
Snake-like
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom
Danger
Harmless
Edibility
Rarely eaten

Description

The wattled eelpout is an eelpout from the northern Pacific, from the Bering Sea to the Gulf of Alaska and British Columbia. The species grows to about 51 cm and has an elongate, eel-like, grey-brown body with pale cross-bars and a wattle-like skin fold under the chin. As a bottom-dweller it lives on soft bottoms of cold, fairly deep water and feeds on small crustaceans, worms and molluscs. The fish is harmless to humans and is assessed as Least Concern (LC) by the IUCN.

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Wattled eelpout?

The Wattled eelpout has a snake-like body, is mainly brown and shows a marbled pattern.

Where does the Wattled eelpout live?

The Wattled eelpout lives in the sea (marine waters) and is mostly found around sand or mud bottom.

How big does the Wattled eelpout get?

The Wattled eelpout grows to a maximum of about 51 cm.

Is the Wattled eelpout dangerous to humans?

No, the Wattled eelpout is harmless to humans.

Is the Wattled eelpout edible?

The Wattled eelpout is rarely eaten.

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All data

Identification

Dutch name
Lel-puitaal verified
English name
Wattled eelpout verified
Scientific name
Lycodes palearis
Family
Zoarcidae
Other names
Wattled eelpout verified

Appearance

Size class
Large verified
Max length (cm)
51.0 verified
Body shape
Snake-like sourced
Dominant colour
Brown inferred
Pattern
Marbled sourced
Tail shape
Rounded inferred
Mouth position
Terminal sourced
Lips
Thin sourced
Barbels
No sourced
Dorsal fins
One continuous sourced
Dorsal spines
No sourced

Habitat & distribution

Water type
Saltwater sourced
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom sourced
Min depth (m)
25.0 verified
Max depth (m)
925.0 verified
Origin
Native verified

Behaviour & biology

Diet
Carnivore sourced
Social behaviour
Solitary sourced
Territorial
No sourced
Activity
Nocturnal sourced
Reproduction
Separate sexes sourced
Sexual dimorphism
No sourced

For anglers

Edibility
Rarely eaten sourced
Fishing method
Bodemvissen met natuurlijk aas (worm, garnaal of vis) op of vlak boven de bodem. inferred
Regulations source
FishBase ↗ inferred

Safety

Danger to humans
Harmless sourced

Status & sources

Sources
FishBase via GBIF (DwC-A), CC-BY-NC 4.0

Same genus Lycodes

More from the family Zoarcidae

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