Icelus Krøyer, 1845
Body with bony plates, usually in lines below dorsal fin bases and along lateral line, often armed as scutes or spines. Head large, compressed in some, usually 1-2 pairs of spines or protuberances at occiput; 4 preopercular spines, uppermost longest, slightly curved, simple or forked at tip, without additional spinules. No slit behind fourth gill arch. Vomer and palatines toothed. Lateral line simple, without branches, with bony plates. Males with large urogenital papilla, usually of compound structure. Vertebrae 40-43.
Small benthic fishes of the shelf and upper bathyal zone. Feed on small bottom invertebrates. Spawn usually in late summer to autumn; eggs few, demersal.
Species about 11; in Clofnam area 2.
Species of this genus in the program:
Icelus bicornis
Icelus spatula