Coastrange sculpin (Cottus aleuticus)

Scientific name: Cottus aleuticus Gilbert, 1896

Coastrange sculpin (Cottus aleuticus)

The Coastrange sculpin (Cottus aleuticus) is a freshwater fish of the family Cottidae.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 8 - 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 17-20; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 12 - 15; Vertebrae: 34 - 38. Distinguished by having only a single pore on the tip of the chin, no palatine teeth and no pronounced gap between 1st and 2nd dorsal fins. Dark brown to greenish or grayish on back and sides, with darker blotches; sides lighter, ventral areas white; usually two or three dark saddle-like blotches below soft part of dorsal fin; dark bars on dorsal, anal, pectoral and caudal fins; orange edge on spiny dorsal fin of spawning males.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Cottus aleuticus
Family
Cottidae (Sculpins)
Order
Scorpaeniformes (Scorpionfishes and Flatheads)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
17.0
Common length
6.0
Environment
Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal; catadromous
Climate
Temperate
Distribution
North America: Bristol Bay and Aleutian Islands, Alaska to northern California, USA. Isolated populations in lower Kobuk River (Alaska), Cultus Lake (British Columbia, Canada), and Lake Washington (USA).
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=3; tmax=8; Fec=100)

Sources

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

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