Gopher rockfish

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Gopher rockfish
Gopher rockfish.jpg
At the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Scorpaenidae
Genus: Sebastes
Species:
S. carnatus
Binomial name
Sebastes carnatus
Synonyms [1]
  • Sebastichthys carnatusJordan & Gilbert, 1880

The gopher rockfish (Sebastes carnatus), also known as the gopher sea perch, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the eastern Pacific, primarily off California.

Contents

Taxonomy

The gopher rockfish was originally described in 1880 as Sebastichthys carnatus by the American ichthyologists David Starr Jordan and Charles Henry Gilbert with the type locality given as the Monterey Bay, California. [2] Some authorities place this species in the subgenus Pteropodus. The specific name carnatus means "fleshy" or "flesh-colored", alluding to the background color of this fish. [3]

Description

The gopher rockfish is a deep, stout bodied fish with a steep dorsal profile. [4] The body is as deep as 34% to 38% of its standard length. They have many spines on the head and body. The overall color is dark brown, black, and greenish fading to reddish brown on the belly. [5] There is a row of flesh-colored or whitish spotting and blotches [4] on their back reaching up to and onto the dorsal fin and irregular pale patches on their flanks. There is a dark stripe running rearwards from the eye and another on the upper jaw. The head is of average length for this genus and has a short snout with a small terminal mouth and large eyes which bulge over the dorsal profile of the head. The caudal fin is truncate. [5] The dorsal fin has 13 spines and 12 to 14 rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 5 to 7 soft rays. This species grows to a maximum total length of 38 cm (15 in). [1]

Distribution and habitat

Gopher rockfish are found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean off the Western coast of North America. They are known from as far north as Cape Blanco in Oregon, down to Punta San Roque in southern Baja California. They are commonest between northern Baja California and Northern California. [4] It is a demersal species that is encountered as solitary and highly territorial individuals with nearby shelters on rock structures or within kelp forests at depths from 12 to 50 m (39 to 164 ft). [5]

Biology

The gopher rockfish is a territorial species which defends a home territory on the seabed excluding other rockfish. It is a nocturnal fish, spending the day sheltering in cavities and crevices. They leave their shelter ar dusk to forage. The juveniles feed on planktonic crustaceans while the adults prey on cephalopods, gastropods, brittle stars, crabs, shrimp and polychaetes. They also eat smaller fish such as juvenile rockfish, particularly blue rockfish (Sebastes mystinus), sculpins, juvenile surfperch, kelpfishes, and plainfin midshipman (Porichthys notatus). [4] This is an oviparous species in which a female can lay 175,000 to 425,000 pelagic eggs. They are known to live for up to 30 years. [5]

Genetics

A PCR-RFLP genetic sex marker has been identified for gopher rockfish, which can successfully distinguish males and females. [6] [7] The marker potentially also works in the closely related black-and-yellow rockfish, [6] [7] but it does not seem to successfully distinguish males and females in various other rockfish species. [7] Chromosome 19 has been identified as a putative sex chromosome for the species. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue rockfish</span> Species of fish

The blue rockfish or blue seaperch, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, ranging from northern Baja California to central Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China rockfish</span> Species of fish

The China rockfish, the yellowstripe rockfish or yellowspotted rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is native to the waters of the Pacific Ocean off western North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canary rockfish</span> Species of fish

The canary rockfish, also known as the orange rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is native to the waters of the Pacific Ocean off western North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Widow rockfish</span> Species of fish

The widow rockfish, or brown bomber, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.

<i>Sebastes miniatus</i> Species of fish

Sebastes miniatus, the vermilion rockfish, vermilion seaperch, red snapper, red rock cod, and rasher, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is native to the waters of the Pacific Ocean off western North America from Baja California to Alaska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellowtail rockfish</span> Species of fish

The yellowtail rockfish, or yellowtail seaperch, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. This species lives mainly off the coast of western North America from California to Alaska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starry rockfish</span> Species of fish

The starry rockfish, also known as the spotted corsair, spotted rockfish, chinafish, and red rock cod, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black rockfish</span> Species of fish

The black rockfish, also known variously as the black seaperch, black bass, black rock cod, sea bass, black snapper and Pacific Ocean perch, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is sometimes misidentified as the "red snapper".

<i>Sebastes chrysomelas</i> Species of fish

Sebastes chrysomelas, commonly known as the black-and-yellow rockfish, is a marine fish species of the family Sebastidae. It is found in rocky areas in the Pacific off California and Baja California. Although it is similar in appearance to the China rockfish, the black-and-yellow rockfish lacks the China's long yellow streak. The China rockfish has a continuous yellow band while the black-and-yellow rockfish only has scattered patches of yellow across its body.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown rockfish</span> Species of fish

The brown rockfish, whose other names include brown seaperch, chocolate bass, brown bass and brown bomber, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.

<i>Sebastes atrovirens</i> Species of fish

Sebastes atrovirens, the kelp rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is native to the Pacific Ocean along the coast of California in the United States and Baja California in Mexico.

<i>Sebastes aurora</i> Species of fish

Sebastes aurora, the aurora rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.

<i>Sebastes diploproa</i> Species of fish

Sebastes diploproa, the splitnose rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.

<i>Sebastes elongatus</i> Species of fish

Sebastes elongatus, the greenstriped rockfish, striped rockfish, strawberry rockfish, poinsettas, reina or serena, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.

<i>Sebastes helvomaculatus</i> Species of fish

Sebastes helvomaculatus, the rosethorn rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. This species is found in the Eastern Pacific.

<i>Sebastes ovalis</i> Species of fish

Sebastes ovalis, the speckled rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in deep rocky areas of the Eastern Pacific.

<i>Sebastes rosaceus</i> Species of fish

Sebastes rosaceus, the rosy rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the Eastern Pacific.

<i>Sebastes rubrivinctus</i> Species of fish

Sebastes rubrivinctus, also known as the flag rockfish, Spanish flag, redbanded rockfish or barberpole, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the Eastern Pacific.

<i>Sebastes schlegelii</i> Species of fish

Sebastes schlegelii, also known as the Korean rockfish, northern black seaperch, and black rockfish, is a predatory species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae It is found in the Northwest Pacific Ocean.

<i>Sebastes diaconus</i> Species of fish

Sebastes diaconus, the deacon rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

References

  1. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2021). "Sebastes carnatus" in FishBase. June 2021 version.
  2. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Sebastes". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  3. Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (22 May 2021). "Order Perciformes (Part 8): Suborder Scorpaenoidei: Families Sebastidae, Setarchidae and Neosebastidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Gopher Rockfish". California Pier Fishing. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Gopher rockfish". Mexican Fish. 18 January 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  6. 1 2 Fowler, Benjamin L.S.; Buonaccorsi, Vincent P. (2016). "Genomic characterization of sex‐identification markers in Sebastes carnatus and Sebastes chrysomelas rockfishes". Molecular Ecology. 25 (10): 2165–2175. doi: 10.1111/mec.13594 . PMID   26923740.
  7. 1 2 3 Vaux, Felix; Aycock, Hannah M.; Bohn, Sandra; Rasmuson, Leif K.; O'Malley, Kathleen G. (2020). "Sex identification PCR–RFLP assay tested in eight species of Sebastes rockfish". Conservation Genetics Resources. 12 (4): 541–544. doi:10.1007/s12686-020-01150-y. S2CID   216609309.
  8. Sykes, Nathan T.B.; Kolora, Sree Rohit Raj; Sudmant, Peter H.; Owens, Gregory L. (2023). "Rapid turnover and evolution of sex-determining regions in Sebastes rockfishes". Molecular Ecology. 32 (18): 5013–5027. doi: 10.1111/mec.17090 .