Butterfly sculpin (Hemilepidotus papilio)

Scientific name: Hemilepidotus papilio Bean, 1880

The Butterfly sculpin (Hemilepidotus papilio) is a marine fish of the family Cottidae. Native range: Arctic, Chukchi Sea. North Pacific: Hokkaido, Japan and Sea of Okhotsk and to Buldir Island in the Aleutian chain.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 11 - 13; Dorsal soft rays (total): 19-20; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 16 - 18. Scales on ventral scale row less than 1/2 the size of those on the dorsal scale row; fin membrane of spiny dorsal well incised; 4 preopercular spines; the 4th simple.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Hemilepidotus papilio
Family: Cottidae (Sculpins)
Order: Scorpaeniformes (Scorpionfishes and Flatheads)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 30.0
Depth range: 4–320 m (13–1050 ft)
Environment: Marine; demersal; depth range 4 - 320 m
Climate: Temperate
Distribution: Arctic: Chukchi Sea. North Pacific: Hokkaido, Japan and Sea of Okhotsk and to Buldir Island in the Aleutian chain.
Conservation status (IUCN): Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans: Harmless
Resilience: Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026