Cottus aleuticus
Coastrange Sculpin
NS
G5
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Scorpaeniformes (Lionfish, Stonefish and others)
Cottidae (Sculpins)
Cottus
Cottus aleuticus (Coastrange Sculpin)
Description
This species account was compiled from
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Characters
Body shape: elongated. Distinguished by having only a single pore on the tip of the chin, no palatine teeth and no pronounced gap between 1st and 2nd dorsal fins (Ref. 27547). Dark brown to greenish or grayish on back and sides, with darker blotches; sides lighter, ventral areas white; usually two or three dark saddle-like blotches below soft part of dorsal fin; dark bars on dorsal, anal, pectoral and caudal fins; orange edge on spiny dorsal fin of spawning males (Ref. 27547).
Distribution
North America: Bristol Bay and Aleutian Islands, Alaska to northern California, USA. Isolated populations in lower Kobuk River (Alaska), Cultus Lake (British Columbia, Canada), and Lake Washington (USA) (Ref. 27547).
Habitat Associations
Freshwater, brackish, marine. demersal. Found in: streams, lakes, estuaries.
Biology
Inhabits gravel and rubble riffles of medium to large rivers and rocky shores of lakes (Ref. 5723). Occasionally enters estuaries (Ref. 5723) and nearshore coastal water (Ref. 43939). Feeds mostly at night and mostly on aquatic insects and benthic invertebrates (Ref. 27547). Generally solitary but large aggregations have been noted (Ref. 27547). Makes regular seasonal migrations associated with spawning (Ref. 27547). Considered a forage fish for some salmonids (Ref. 1998).
Max length: 17.0 cm TL; common length: 6.0 cm TL; max age: 8 years.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; guarders (nesters). Adults make regular seasonal migrations associated with spawning. They move downstream to estuaries or at least to lower reaches of rivers in the spring, mostly at night (Ref. 27547). Eggs are deposited on the undersurface of a rock, in adhesive masses (Ref. 1998). Over 7,000 eggs have been found in a single nest, suggesting that a male may spawn with several females (Ref. 1998, 27547). The male guards the nest until all eggs have hatched (Ref. 1998, 27547). A reverse, upstream migration of yearlings and adults occur in late summer to early winter, from August to December (Ref. 27547).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2011-11-08. Resilience: Medium (tm=3; tmax=8; Fec=100).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: of no interest.
References
Scott, W.B. and E.J. Crossman (1973) Freshwater fishes of Canada. Bull. Fish. Res. Board Can. 184: xi+1-966.
Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr (1991) A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 432 p.
Brown, L.R., S.A. Matern and P.B. Moyle (1995) Comparative ecology of prickly sculpin, Cottus asper, and coastrange sculpin, C. aleuticus, in the Eel River, California. Environ. Biol. Fishes 42:329-343.
Morrow, J.E. (1980) The freshwater fishes of Alaska. University of. B.C. Animal Resources Ecology Library. 248p.
Comments On Cottus aleuticus