LUMPSUCKER

also called lumpfish any of certain marine fish of the family Cyclopteridae (order Scorpaeniformes), found in cold northern waters. Lumpsuckers are thickset, short-bodied, scaleless fish with skins that are either smooth or studded with bony tubercles. Like the snailfish, which are often included in the family, they are characterized by a strong sucking disk on the undersurface. The disk is formed from the pelvic fins and is used by the fish in holding firmly to the sea bottom. Lumpsuckers are carnivorous, slow-moving fish. A notable species is Cyclopterus lumpus, known in Europe as sea hen or hen fish because the male guards and cares for the eggs, without eating, until they hatch in about six or seven weeks. This fish is found in the Arctic and on both sides of the North Atlantic. It is a large lumpsucker and attains a maximum length and weight of about 60 centimetres (2 feet) and 5 to 6 kilograms (1113 pounds).