Phytichthys chirus
Ribbon Prickleback
NS
GNR
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Stichaeidae (Pricklebacks)
Phytichthys
Phytichthys chirus (Ribbon Prickleback)
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 rounded; pectorals very small (Ref. 6885). Olive green to olive dark brown dorsally, yellow to green ventrally, frequently with darker markings on side, small white spots sometimes evident along midside, 4 light and dark streaks reaching back and down from eyes, fins green to brown tinged with yellow (Ref. 6885).
Distribution
Eastern Pacific: Bering Sea coast of Alaska to southern California, USA.
Habitat Associations
Marine. demersal. depth range 0-12 m.
Biology
Found under rocks in intertidal areas and to about 12 m depth (Ref. 2850). Feeds on crustaceans, and red and green algae (Ref. 6885).
Max length: 20.0 cm TL.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; guarders (nesters).
IUCN Red List Status: N.E. (N.E.). Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
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.
Lamb, A. and P. Edgell (1986) Coastal fishes of the Pacific northwest. Madeira Park, (BC, Canada): Harbour Publishing Co. Ltd., 224 p.
Patzner, R.A. (2008) Reproductive strategies of fish. pp. 311-350. In Rocha, M.J., A. Arukwe and B.G. Kapoor (eds). Fish reproduction: cytology, biology and ecology. Science Publisher, Inc. Oxford. 631 p.
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