| Family | Scientific Name | Author | Year | Common Name |
| Liparidae | Liparis inquilinus | Able | 1973 | Inquiline Snailfish |
Liparis inquilinus
Unique Characters: Small, tadpole-shaped (less than 71 mm total length), with body compressed behind origin of anal fin, greatest body depth in region of disc. Skin loose, with small thumbtack-like prickles. Notched dorsal fin. Dorsal fin rays 35 (33-38), anal fin rays 29 (28-31), and pectoral 32 fin rays (30-35). Dorsal fin originates below pectoral fin insertion. Upper pharyngeal teeth are three-lobed. Dorsal and anal fins fuse with the caudal fin by almost 1/3 of its length. Juveniles live within the mantle cavity of the Atlantic Sea Scallop, Placopecten magellanicus.
References:
Able, K.W. 1973. A new cyclopterid fish, Liparis inquilinus, associated with the Sea Scallop, Placopecten magellanicus, in the western North Atlantic, with notes on the Liparis liparis complex. Copeia 1973 (4): 787-794.
Chernova, N.V. 2008. Systematics and phylogeny of fish of the genus Liparis (Liparidae, Scorpaeniformes). Journal of Ichthyology 48 (10):831–852.
Similar Species: Scotian Snailfish Careproctus ranula, Body is thick, subcylindrical anteriorly, rapidly tapering to the tail. In life colorless, almost translucent and covered with a thick tough integument.
A species with body thick, subcylindrical anteriorly, rapidly tapering to the tail, covered with a thick lax integument; its greatest height (.25) equals the length of the head and is one-fourth of the total length of the body without caudal. Head somewhat tumescent at the nape; its height (over the ventral disk and eyes) contained something over six times in the length of the body; its greatest width (.18) very Brightly greater and equaling twice the width of the ventral disk. Snout broad, with prominent vertical profile; its length about one-fourth that of the head. Cleft of the mouth horizontal, not extending to perpendicular from the anterior margin of the orbit. Lips covered with thick lax skin, the upper jaw extending beyond the lower. Length of the upper jaw about one-third of length of head; that of mandible slightly greater than length of ventral disk. Back jaw armed with a band of villiform teeth: tongue thick, obtuse. Eye is lateral, not interfering with the upper profile of the head; its diameter (.07) more than one-fourth of the length of the head, and contained about fourteen times in the length of the body. Width of interorbital area is contained 2J times in length of head. Nostril close to eye. Gill opening a vertical slit, extending upon upper part of root of the pectoral. Dorsal is inserted at a distance from snout equal to one-third of length of body. It contains about 48 rays (though to count them is almost impossible). Anal originates at a distance from snout equal to two-fifths of length of body, and in perpendicular from eighth dorsal ray; it contains at least 48 rays. Pectoral moderately broad, with 15 long rays and 12 or 13 shorter ones; the long rays are twice as long as the ventral disk and extend nearly or quite to perpendicular from vent. Ventral disk slightly longer (.10) than its distance from snout (.09), which precisely equals its width; it has 14 papillae. Color is uniform whitish, almost colorless, and translucent in life.
References:
Goode, G.B. and T.H. Bean. 1879. Description of a new species of Liparis (L. ranula) obtained by the United States Fish Commission off Halifax, Nova Scotia. Proceedings of the United States National Museum. Volume 2 (No. 65): 46-48.
Goode, G.B. and T.H. Bean. 1895. Oceanic ichthyology, a treatise on the deep-sea and pelagic fishes of the world, based chiefly upon the collections made by the steamers Blake, Albatross, and Fish Hawk in the Northwestern Atlantic, with an atlas containing 447 figures. Special Bulletin No. 2. Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Washington, DC. 553 pp.
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