| Penpoint gunnel | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Penpoint gunnel near Seattle, WA | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Scorpaeniformes |
| Family: | Pholidae |
| Genus: | Apodichthys |
| Species: | A. flavidus |
| Binomial name | |
| Apodichthys flavidus Girard, 1854 | |
The penpoint gunnel (Apodichthys flavidus) is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Pholidae, the gunnels. [1] This fish occurs in the eastern North Pacific Ocean.
The penpoint gunnel was first formally described in 1854 by the French biologist Charles Frédéric Girard with the type locality given as Presidio, San Francisco, California. [2] In 1898 David Starr Jordan and Barton Warren Evermann designated this species as the type species of the genus Apodichthys. [3] The specific name flavidus means "yellowish", Girard described its body as being uniform yellowish in color with a slight grayish tint. [4]
The penpoint gunnel is mainly found in intertidal areas at depths between 0 and 1.8 m (0.0 and 5.9 ft). Geographically, it occurs from the Pacific coast of North America, ranging from Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska to Santa Barbara Island in southern California. It can sometimes be seen in tide pools, also in eelgrass beds, sea lettuce beds, and in stands of kelp. It commonly takes on the color of the vegetation it inhabits. If there is no vegetation (in winter, for example), it can also inhabit rocky areas, lurking under rocks and in protective crevices. However, it can also remain out of the water under rocks or seaweeds. The penpoint gunnel can breathe air when out of water. [5]
Penpoint gunnels varies in color and can be green, maroon, or brown. This species attains a maximum published total length up to 46 cm (18 in). It most easily distinguished by the dark bar below each eye, as it is commonly found peeking out of a kelp bed or crevice. There is a row of dark and/or pale spots along the midbody and commonly a series of short, pale bar-like marking extending down from the top of the dorsal fin. The first spine of the anal fin is large and grooved like a fountain pen point. It has a continuous dorsal, tail and anal fins, but no ventral fins. The tail is defined by slightly longer rays. The anal fin is about half the length of the dorsal fin. [5] This is an elongated fish which has long based low dorsal and anal fins. [6] The dorsal fin contains between 40 and 44 spines while the anal fin has a single spine and 38 to 42 soft rays. The caudal fin is rounded and the pectoral fins are small and rounded. [5]
Penpoint gunnels feed on small crustaceans and mollusks. Pairs are found coiled around egg masses. [5]
The red velvetfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, it is the only species in the monotypic genus Gnathanacanthus and monogeneric family Gnathanacanthidae. This species is endemic to the inshore waters of western and southern Australia.
Pholidae is a family of marine ray-finned fishes, known as gunnels, in the Scorpaeniform suborder Zoarcoidei. These are fishes of the littoral zone and are mainly found in North Pacific Ocean, with two species found in the North Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean.
The stripedfin ronquil, also known as the bluebanded ronquil, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Bathymasteridae, the ronquils. This fish is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The treefish 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 eastern Pacific Ocean.
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.
Bellator egretta, the streamer searobin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the sea robins. This fish is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
Cryptacanthodes is a genus of is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the monogeneric family Cryptacanthodidae, commonly referred to as wrymouths. Three of the four species are found in the Pacific Ocean with one species native to the western Atlantic Ocean where they are benthic fishes, tunneling through soft substrates. It is currently the only known genus in its family.
The rock gunnel, or butterfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Pholidae, the gunnels. This species is found in the coastal waters of the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Atlantic part of the Arctic Ocean.
The rockweed gunnel, also known as the Fucus blenny, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Pholidae, the gunnels. This species is found in the eastern North Pacific Ocean.
The crescent gunnel, also known as the bracketed blenny, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Pholidae, the gunnels. This fish occurs in the shallow coastal waters of the eastern North Pacific Ocean.
Plectorhinchus macrospilus, the largespot sweetlips, largespot thicklips or Andaman sweetlips, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sweetlips belonging to the subfamily Plectorhinchinae, one of two subfamilies in the family Haemulidae, the grunts. It is native to the north eastern Indian Ocean.
The saddleback gunnel, also known as the saddled blenny, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Pholidae, the gunnels. This fish occurs in the shallow coastal waters of the eastern North Pacific Ocean.
Pholis is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Pholidae, the gunnels. These fishes are found in shallow coastal waters of the North Pacific, Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans.
Apodichthys is a small genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Pholidae, the gunnels. These fishes are found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Apodichthyinae is a subfamily of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Pholidae, the gunnels. These fishes are found in the North Pacific Ocean.
The stippled gunnel is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Pholidae, the gunnels. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Rhodymenichthys. It is found in the northern North Pacific Ocean.
The kelp gunnel is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Pholidae, the gunnels. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Ulvicola. It is found in the eastern North Pacific Ocean.
The crisscross prickleback is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Stichaeidae, the pricklebacks and shannies. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Plagiogrammus. This fish is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean off California.
Opisthocentrinae is a subfamily of marine ray-finned fishes, classified within the family Stichaeidae, the pricklebacks or shannies. These fishes are found in the North Pacific Occean.
Pholidapus is a monotypic genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Stichaeidae, the pricklebacks and shannies. Its only species is Pholidapus dybowskii which is found in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.