What specialized feeding category describes wolffish due to their diet of hard-shelled prey?

Durophages

Wolffish are classified as specialized durophages, which denotes animals that have evolved specific adaptations to consume hard-bodied prey. This classification is directly linked to their ecological niche as predators relying heavily on organisms protected by calcified structures. In their native benthic environments, the primary sustenance comes from prey like mollusks (clams, mussels), crabs, and sea urchins, all of which possess significant external defenses that require substantial mechanical force to access the nutritional contents within. This adaptation contrasts with generalized feeders and highlights the unique evolutionary path these fish have taken to exploit food sources unavailable to many other marine species in the seabed community.