Scientific Name
Leptocottus armatus

Common Name
Pacific staghorn sculpin

Biology
Dorsal spines (total): 6 - 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 15-20; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 15 - 20; Vertebrae: 37 - 39. Distinguished by the large upper preopercular spine ending in 3 or 4 sharp, upturned, curved spinules and by the large, dark spot on the posterior part of the spiny dorsal fin (Ref. 27547). Gill rakers reduced to flat, bony plates, each bearing a cluster of small teeth; lateral line nearly straight; each pore associated with a small subdermal cartilaginous plate (Ref. 27547). Caudal rounded (Ref. 6885). Grayish olive to rather green, occasionally with some yellow, dorsally; orange-yellow to white or silvery below lateral line; spiny dorsal dusky, with a black spot near tips of last 3 spines, a white band below it; soft dorsal fin dusky, with several oblique white to yellowish bands; pectorals yellow with 5 or 6 dark greenish bars; caudal dusky with one or two pale bands; anal and pelvic fins pale (Ref. 27547).

Classification

Classified By

Girard, 1854

Class

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)

Order

Scorpionfishes and Flatheads (Scorpaeniformes)

Family

Sculpins (Cottidae)

Distribution

Region

Eastern Pacific

Distribution

Eastern Pacific: Izembek Lagoon, on the southeastern Bering Sea coast of Alaska to Bahia San Quintin, northern Baja California, Mexico.

Range

60°N - 33°N

Environment

Climate

Temperate

Water Temperature From

Unknown °C

Water Temperature To

Unknown °C

Depth From - meters

0 m

Depth To - meters

156 m

Zone

demersal

Environment

Marine; brackish; demersal; amphidromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 156 m

Trophic Level

3.46 s.e. 0.52 Based on diet studies.

Occurs in Marine / Salt water

True

Occurs in Brackish water

True

Occurs in Fresh Water

False

Occurs on Reefs

False

Is kept in Aquariums

True

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length

46.0 cm

Common Length

35.5 cm

Phylogenetic Diversity Index

PD50 = 1.0000 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses

Aquarium: public aquariums

Vulnerability

Low vulnerability (24 of 100)

Resilience

Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=1; tmax=10)

Threat To Humans

Harmless

IUCN Red List Status

Not Evaluated