| Spoonhead sculpin | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Scorpaeniformes |
| Family: | Cottidae |
| Genus: | Cottus |
| Species: | C. ricei |
| Binomial name | |
| Cottus ricei (E. W. Nelson, 1876) | |
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| Spoonhead sculpin range | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
The spoonhead sculpin (Cottus ricei) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species is widespread in northeastern North America.
The spoonhead sculpin was first formally described as Cottopsis ricei by the American naturalist and ethnologist Edward William Nelson with its type locality given as Lake Michigan near Evanston in Cook County, Illinois. [3] It is classified within the nominate subgenus of the genus Cottus . The specific name honors Nelson's friend F.L. Rice who collected the type. [4]
Spoonhead sculpins do not have scales but instead are covered in small, fine, curved spines. They have a flat triangular shaped head and a cylindrical shaped body that is depressed from top to bottom and their body tapers from the head down to the tail. They have very defined preopercular spines. Their fins are long and round and their coloration ranges from greenish brown to light yellow and they are white underneath and their bodies are speckled. Spoonhead sculpins average length is about 1.5 to 2.4 inches, however, the largest sculpin on record was 5.3 inches. [5] Their eyes are positioned on top of their head and they have a very large mouth that opens on the ventral surface, in the inferior position. This allows them to feed on the bottom of rivers and lakes. They also have a complete lateral line that extends to the caudal peduncle (between the end of the anal fin and the base of the caudal fin), this allows them to detect movement in the water. [6] Spoonhead sculpins have four soft pelvic rays (soft-rays are thin and flexible), 14-16 pectoral rays, one chin pore and three preopercular spines. They do not have palatine teeth. These fish usually live to be 6 years old compared to slimy sculpins that usually live for 5 years and deepwater sculpins live for 7 years. [7] The spoonhead sculpin does not contain a swim bladder which, allows it to rest on the bottom of lakes and rivers. Also they are sensitive to low frequencies of sound and less sensitive to high frequencies of sound. [8] They have a rounded caudal or tail fin. . [9]
The spoonhead sculpin can be found in Canada from southern Quebec to the Mackenzie River in the Northwest and Yukon Territories and in British Columbia. They are also found in northern Ohio, Montana, and in many of the Great Lakes like Lake Superior and Lake Erie. However, due to the large amount of pollution in Lake Erie the spoonhead population there is dwindling. [2] The spoonhead is also a native Montana fish that can be found in the St. Mary and Waterton river drainages of Glacier National Park. They are generally found in fast flowing rivers and deep lakes. [10]
Spoonhead sculpins are found in fast flowing streams or in deep lakes. These fish prefer habitats that contain bedrock, boulder, cobble, rubble and logs to hide from their predators such as trout and other large lake fishes . [11]
Not much is known about their diet but they most likely eat aquatic insects such as stoneflies and plankton. . [12] These fish are prey to larger game fish such as northern pike, lake trout, and burbot. They can also be prey to mammals and birds if they are living in shallow water. [13]
The spoonhead sculpin is sexually mature at two years of age when it gets to be about 7.0-8.0 cm in length. Spawning occurs in the fall when males will go out, find, and defend territories from other males. Once a territory is established the male will drive other males away from his territory, which includes a nest site. Males will select nest sites under rocks. Then they try to attract females with the quality of their territory and have the female lay her eggs and attach them to the undersurface of the rocks in the nest site. Then he drives the females away from the nests after he has fertilized them. Males can sometimes be polygynous but this is usually correlated to the male's size and to how many eggs he can guard at one time. The male will guard the nest until the eggs hatch, this generally happens 21 days after fertilization. Female fecundity ranges from 280 to 1200 eggs and is also correlated to female size. [13]
The slimy sculpin is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the family Cottidae, which is the largest sculpin family. They usually inhabit cold rocky streams or lakes across North America, ranging from the Great Lakes, southeast Minnesota, northeast Iowa, southwest Wisconsin and northeast Canada. Slimy sculpins have also been found roaming the cold streams of eastern Siberia. They are commonly confused with their closely related relatives, Mottled sculpin, and with tubenose gobies who are both freshwater fishes as well. The slimy sculpin is a nocturnal fish that usually spends most of its time on the stream bottom and seeks shelter under rocks and logs, especially during spawning season. When it swims, it sometimes appears to be "hopping" along the bottom because of its inefficient ability to swim. This is partly due to the absence of a swim bladder, which normally gives buoyancy to a fish.
Cottus is a genus of the mainly freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. They are often referred to as the "freshwater sculpins", as they are the principal genus of sculpins to be found in fresh water. They are native to the Palearctic and Nearctic.
The mottled sculpin is a species of freshawater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species has a wide but scattered North American distribution.
The Pacific staghorn sculpin is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Lepidocottus.
The European bullhead is a freshwater fish that is widely distributed in Europe, mainly in rivers. It is a member of the family Cottidae, a type of sculpin. It is also known as the miller's thumb, freshwater sculpin, common bullhead, and cob.
Enophrys is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. These fishes are found in the northern and eastern Pacific Ocean.
Gymnocanthus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. These fishes are found in the northern Pacific, Arctic and northern Atlantic Oceans.
The spineless sculpin is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species is found in the Pacific Ocean where it is endemic to the waters around the Aleutian Islands, Alaska.
Phasmatocottus is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the "typical" sculpins. The only species in the genus is Phasmatocottus ctenopterygius from the northwestern Pacific.
The hairhead sculpin is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Trichocottus.
The prickly sculpin is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is native to the river drainages of the Pacific Slope of North America from Seward, Alaska south to the Ventura River of Southern California. It extends east of the Continental Divide in the Peace River of British Columbia. It has also been introduced to several reservoirs in Southern California.
Enophrys bison, the buffalo sculpin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Myoxocephalus scorpioides, the Arctic sculpin or northern sculpin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This fish is found in the Arctic Ocean.
Artedius corallinus, the coralline sculpin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is found in the eastern North Pacific along the coasts of the western United States and Baja California.
The bald sculpin is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The shorthead sculpin is a species of fish in the family Cottidae. Shorthead Sculpins are bottom-dwelling small fish, typically sizing around 13 to 15 cm long. They have large heads and fanlike pectoral fins. They have 7-9 dorsal spines, 15-19 dorsal soft rays, and 10-14 anal soft rays. Narrow caudal peduncle. Palatine teeth and coloration being dark brown and yellow.
The inland riffle sculpin is a species of fish in the family Cottidae. It is found in the United States, inhabiting the lower Columbia River drainage in Washington, to Morro Bay in California. It is also found in the Puget Sound drainage in Washington. It reaches a maximum length of 11.0 cm. It prefers rocky riffles of headwaters and creeks.
Enophrys diceraus, the antlered sculpin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species occurs in the northern Pacific Ocean.
Gymnocanthus pistilliger, the threaded sculpin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species occurs in the northern Pacific Ocean.
The Arctic staghorn sculpin is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This sculpin is found in the Arctic Ocean and the northern Atlantic Ocean.
