Abyssocottinae
Abyssocottinae
Subfamily of fishes
The Abyssocottinae are a subfamily of ray-finned fishes in the family Cottidae, the sculpins. They are known commonly as the deep-water sculpins.[2] The entire family is endemic to Lake Baikal in Siberia.[4]
Sculpins of this subfamily mostly live in deep water, below 170 m (560 ft).[2] There are 24 known species in seven genera.[2][3] These include, for instance, Abyssocottus korotneffi and Cottinella boulengeri which are among the deepest-living freshwater fish.[5] Baikal is the deepest lake on Earth (1,642 m or 5,387 ft) and sculpins occupy even its greatest depths.[4]