Threaded sculpin (Gymnocanthus pistilliger)

Scientific name: Gymnocanthus pistilliger Pallas, 1814

The Threaded sculpin (Gymnocanthus pistilliger) is a marine fish of the family Cottidae.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 9 - 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13-16; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 14 - 18. A few bony plates usually present on median line of interorbital space. Supraocular cirrus absent in adults. Three pairs of bony tubercles on occiput. Cleithral spine not developed. In males, spatulate cirri present on pectoral axil.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Gymnocanthus pistilliger
Family: Cottidae (Sculpins)
Order: Scorpaeniformes (Scorpionfishes and Flatheads)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 28.0
Common length: 19.5
Depth range: 0–325 m (0–1066 ft)
Environment: Marine; demersal; depth range 0 - 325 m
Climate: Temperate
Distribution: North Pacific: Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk to the Chukchi Peninsula and Norton Sound, Alaska to Kiska Island in the Aleutian chain and southeastern Alaska.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries:
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tmax=9-10;k=0.2-0.4)

Sources

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

Last updated 27 September 2026