The Arctic staghorn sculpin was first formally described as Cottus tricuspis in 1830 by the Danish zoologist Johan Reinhardt with the type locality given as Greenland.

The uppermost spine on the preoperculum is long and has 1 or more recurved spinules on its upper surface.

In North American waters it is normally found as far south as the Gulf of St Lawrence, occasionally reaching Maine.

[4] The Arctic staghorn sculpin is a predator of polychaetes, gastropods, krill, benthic amphipods and echiurids.

They spawn in the late autumn to winter, the females laying 2,000 to 5,500 demersal eggs which hatch into pelagic larvae and juveniles which descend to the sea bed lengths of 20 to 30 mm (0.79 to 1.18 in).