Fourhorn sculpin

Last updated

Fourhorn sculpin
Triglopsis quadricornis (Pieni).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Cottidae
Genus: Myoxocephalus
Species:
M. quadricornis
Binomial name
Myoxocephalus quadricornis
Synonyms [2]
  • Cottus quadricornis Linnaeus, 1758
  • Myoxocephalus quadricornis quadricornis (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Oncocottus quadricornis (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Triglops quadricornis (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Triglopsis quadricornis (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Triglopsis quadricornis quadricorniis (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Cottus hexacornis Richardson, 1823
  • Myoxocephalus quadricornis hexacornis (Richardson, 1823)
  • Oncocottus hexacornis (Richardson, 1823)
  • Cottus quadricornis relicta Lilljeborg, 1891
  • Myoxocephalus quadricornis relicta (Lilljeborg, 1891)
  • Cottus latifrons Gratzianov, 1904
  • Myoxocephalus quadricornis lonnbergi Berg, 1916
  • Cottus quadricornis lonnbergi Lönnberg, 1919
  • Myoxocephalus quadricornis onegensis Berg & Popov, 1932
  • Cottus quadricornis vaenernensis Lönnberg, 1932
  • Cottus quadricornis frykenensis Lönnberg, 1932
  • Cottus quadricornis oernensis Lönnberg, 1932
  • Cottus quadricornis asundensis Lönnberg, 1932
  • Cottus quadricornis kallavesensis Lönnberg, 1933
  • Cottus quadricornis pygmaeus Lönnberg, 1933
  • Cottus quadricornis borkensis Lönnberg, 1939
  • Cottus quadricornis vermelnensis Nybelin  [ sv ]

The fourhorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus quadricornis) is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species has a Holarctic distribution and can be found in marine, brackish and fresh waters.

Contents

Taxonomy

The fourhorn sculpin was first formally described as Cottus quadricornus in the 10th edition of Linnaeus's Systema Naturae with its type locality given as the Baltic Sea. [3] In 2020 workers undertook a comparison of the Mitochondrial DNA of the fourhorn sculpin and the belligerent sculpin (Megalcottus platycephalus) and found that the fourhorn sculpin was more closely related to the belligerent sculpin than it was to the other species in the genus Myoxocephalus, they proposed that the fourhorn sculpin be reclassified as a member of the genus Megalocottus. [4]

The deepwater sculpin Myoxocephalus thompsonii of continental North American freshwater lakes (e.g., the Great Lakes) is closely related to the fourhorn sculpin and alternatively considered as a subspecies of the latter, Myoxocephalus quadricornis thompsonii.

Description

The fourhorn sculpin has a large knobbly head with protruding lips and four bony protuberances, though the latter are not present in freshwater, lake forms of this fish. The pectoral fins are large and rounded. Freshwater forms resemble the Alpine bullhead and European bullhead but can be distinguished from them by the fact that the dorsal and anal fins terminate further forward giving a greater length to the caudal peduncle. The head, body and fins are brownish, mottled and barred with darker colour. The belly of the male is yellowish-brown while that of the female is whitish. In the sea this fish reaches 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 in) but in lakes it seldom exceeds 15 cm (6 in). [5]

Distribution and habitat

The fourhorn sculpin is a demersal fish distributed mainly in brackish arctic coastal waters in Canada, Greenland, Russia, and Alaska, and also as a relict in the boreal Baltic Sea. There are also freshwater populations in the lakes of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Karelia and in Arctic Canada (Nunavut and Northwest Territories). [2]

Biology

The fourhorn sculpin feeds on bottom-dwelling invertebrates and fish eggs. It breeds in winter between November and March and the male tends the eggs. He digs a hollow in the substrate into which the female lays a batch of eggs. He then remains on guard, fanning the eggs with his fins throughout the hundred-day incubation period. [5]

Related Research Articles

Monoporeia affinis,, is a small, yellowish benthic amphipod living in the Baltic Sea, the Arctic Sea and the lakes of the Nordic countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spoonhead sculpin</span> Species of fish

The spoonhead sculpin 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 Utah Lake sculpin is an extinct species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species was endemic to Utah Lake, located in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Utah. The last collected specimen was taken in 1928, and the species is believed to have disappeared during the 1930s, when a severe drought led to a rapid fall in water levels in the lake. A cold winter led to the lake freezing, resulting in the overcrowding of the remaining fish. This, along with decreased water quality from agricultural practices, has been identified as the likely cause of extinction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deepwater sculpin</span> Species of fish

The deepwater sculpin is a species of freshwater fish in the family Cottidae of order Scorpaeniformes. It is a glacial relict, native to a limited number of deep, cold lakes in Canada and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slimy sculpin</span> Species of fish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific staghorn sculpin</span> Species of fish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European bullhead</span> Species of fish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpine bullhead</span> Species of fish

The alpine bullhead or Siberian bullhead is a species of freshwater fish in the family Cottidae of sculpins. It is found in China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, North Korea, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, and Ukraine. This fish is listed as being of "Least Concern" by the IUCN.

<i>Myoxocephalus</i> Genus of fishes

Myoxocephalus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. They are found in the northern Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, with a few species in lakes.

<i>Myoxocephalus scorpius</i> Species of fish

Myoxocephalus scorpius, typically known as the shorthorn sculpin or bull-rout, is a species of fish in the family Cottidae. It is a demersal species of the Northern Atlantic and adjacent subarctic and Arctic seas. The species has many English names that are used less frequently or in small parts of its range, including Arctic sculpin, daddy sculpin, European sculpin, father-lasher, goat sculpin, Greenland sculpin, guffy, horny whore, pig-fish, scully, scummy, short-spined sea scorpion and warty sculpin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longspined bullhead</span> Species of fish

The long-spined bullhead, also known as the long-spined sea-scorpion, and the long-spined scorpion fish is a coastal fish of the sculpin family Cottidae, inhabiting marine waters of Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norway bullhead</span> Species of fish

The Norway bullhead is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species is found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belligerent sculpin</span> Species of fish

The belligerent sculpin, or flathead 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.

<i>Megalocottus</i> Genus of fishes

Megalocottus is a small genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. These fishes are found in the western Pacific Ocean.

<i>Myoxocephalus jaok</i> Species of fish

Myoxocephalus jaok, the plain sculpin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species is found in the northern Pacific Ocean and adjacent Arctic Ocean.

<i>Myoxocephalus scorpioides</i> Species of fish

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.

<i>Cottus rondeleti</i> Species of fish

Cottus rondeleti is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species is endemic to the coastal Hérault drainage of Southern France. The total known distribution comprises three distinct short stretches of stream, and the species considered critically endangered because of threat of drought that is promoted by water extraction and potentially by climate change.

<i>Cottus duranii</i> Species of fish

Cottus duranii, the Dordogne sculpin or Chabot d’Auvergne, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is found in France. It inhabits the Loire and Dordogne river drainages. It reaches a maximum length of 10.0 cm. It prefers streams with clear, cool, moderate to swift water and stone substrate. This species was described as a separate species from the European bullhead in 2005 by Jörg Freyhof, Maurice Kottelat and Arne W. Nolte. The specific name durani means “of Duranius”, the Latin name of the River Dordogne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese fluvial sculpin</span> Species of fish

The Japanese fluvial sculpin is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is endemic to Japan, where it inhabits mountain streams in Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. It reaches a maximum length of 15.0 cm. It is also known as the Japanese bullhead.

Cottus transsilvaniae is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is endemic to Romania in the upper Arges River in the Danube drainage. It reaches a maximum length of 9.7 cm. It prefers rocky shoals and riffles of small upland streams. his species was described as a separate species from the European bullhead in 2005 by Jörg Freyhof, Maurice Kottelat and Arne W. Nolte. The specific name transsilvaniae means “of Transsilvania”, the Latin name of the Transylvania.

References

  1. NatureServe (2018) [amended version of 2013 assessment]. "Myoxocephalus quadricornis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T14214A134235538. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T14214A134235538.en . Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  2. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2022). "Myoxocephalus quadricornis" in FishBase. August 2022 version.
  3. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Myoxocephalus". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  4. Balakirev, Evgeniy; Kravchenko, Alexandra; and Semenchenko, Alexander (2020). "Genetic Evidence for a Mixed Composition of the Genus Myoxocephalus (Cottoidei: Cottidae) Necessitates Generic Realignment". Genes . 11 (9): 1071. doi: 10.3390/genes11091071 . PMC   7564937 . PMID   32933022.
  5. 1 2 "Fourhorn sculpin: Triglopsis quadricornis". NatureGate. Retrieved 2013-12-17.

Bibliography