Oligocottus maculosus
Tidepool Sculpin
NS
GNR
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Scorpaeniformes (Lionfish, Stonefish and others)
Cottidae (Sculpins)
Oligocottus
Oligocottus maculosus (Tidepool Sculpin)
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: elongated. Caudal fin rounded; .
Distribution
North Pacific: Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea to Los Angeles County, USA, but records west of the Gulf of Alaska doubtful.
Habitat Associations
Brackish, marine. demersal. depth range 0-102 m.
Biology
A resident intertidal species with homing behavior (Ref. 32612), found in sheltered areas and common in tide pools (Ref. 2850). In areas with rough surf, it occurs in higher, more sheltered places (Ref. 2850). Can leave tide pools when aquatic conditions become inhospitable (Ref. 31184). Shows a tendency to return to its home pool if displaced (Ref. 6885). Breathes air when out of water (Ref. 31184).
Max length: 8.9 cm TL.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; guarders. Males clasp females with their pectoral fin and fertilizes the eggs as it is being deposited on a rock (Ref. 6885).
IUCN Red List Status: N.E. (N.E.). Resilience: High (K=0.21; tm=1).
References
Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H. Hammann (1983) A field guide to Pacific coast fishes of North America. Boston (MA, USA): Houghton Mifflin Company. xii+336 p.
Hart, J.L. (1973) Pacific fishes of Canada. Bull. Fish. Res. Board Can. 180:740 p.
Livingston, P.A. and B.J. Goiney Jr. (1983) Food habits literature of North Pacific marine fishes: a review and selected bibliography. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS F/NWC-54, 81 p.
Parin, N.V., V.V. Fedorov and B.A. Sheiko (2002) An annotated catalogue of fish-like vertebrates and fishes of the seas of Russia and adjacent countries: Part 2. Order Scorpaeniformes. J. Ichthyol. 42(Suppl.1):S60-S135.
Comments On Oligocottus maculosus