Red Irish lord
(Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus)

The red Irish lord (Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus) is a species of marine ray-finned fish in the family Agonidae. It is found in the northern Pacific Ocean, from Russia to Alaska and as far south as Monterey Bay.

It is a distinctly red fish, with brown, yellow, white, and black mottling, that is generally around 30 cm (12 in) long, though specimens can grow to up to 51 cm (20 in) in length.

Carnivorous, it hides camouflaged among rocks on the ocean floor and lashes out to seize its prey—crabs, fish and shrimp.

It is only partially scaled and has a broad head and large eyes, with a slimmer body. Red Irish lords are also characterized by a dorsal fin separated into three notches, with an average of 10 to 12 dorsal spines, and 18–20 dorsal soft rays. It possesses several bands of scales along its body, the dorsal band being about 4–5 scales wide, with another band below the lateral line that is about 10 scales wide. However, there are no scales on its underside.

It features frontal cirri of 4–8 barbels, and nasal cirri of 4–8 barbels, while lacking fleshy flaps on its nostrils. It has 35 vertebrae. The red Irish lord can be identified by its namesake red coloration, which can also contain brown, white, and black mottling. It is generally darker above and paler to almost white below. Spotting and mottling is more prominent in larger fish, and always visible on specimens over 6 cm (2.4 in) long. The pectoral and anal fins are mottled. The pelvic fins are pale, but are spotted or dark in large males. It can also change color to blend in with its surroundings.

The similar brown Irish lord has a dorsal band that is 6–8 (rather than 4–5) scales wide, while the yellow Irish lord has more slender cirri.

The red Irish lord lives in temperate, demersal marine environments between 66°N and 34°N. They are found mostly along the coastal waters of the Northern Pacific Ocean, from the Bering Sea in Russia, to Alaska, to the Western coast of the U.S. as far as Monterey Bay in California, although rare that far south. Red Irish lords are sculpins, and therefore benthic, bottom-dwelling fish that inhabit mostly shallow waters, but can live at deeper depths. They prefer a coastal, rocky habitat in reefs and shallow areas in the intertidal zone up to about 50 m (160 ft) in depth, but their distribution can range all the way up to 450 m (1,500 ft). Their hunting strategy and camouflaged coloration lend themselves to hiding at the sea floor among sand, rocks and other marine life, while waiting to ambush prey. They are not harmful to humans.