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A Virtual Museum on the State's Fish Biodiversity

Porichthys myriaster

Specklefin Midshipman
Collection Details

Specimens

Photos

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Records

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes) Batrachoidiformes Batrachoididae (Toadfishes) Porichthys Porichthys myriaster (Specklefin Midshipman)

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.) and processed using AI-assisted text extraction. It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting. When citing, please reference the original source rather than this page. Learn more about our species accounts.

Characters

Body shape: elongated.

Distribution

Eastern Pacific: Arguellow, California, USA to Almejas Bay, Baja California, Mexico. Also reported from northern Peru (Ref. 96339).

Habitat Associations

Marine. demersal. depth range 0-126 m.

Biology

Inhabits rocky areas and soft bottom, common in bays. Ranges from the intertidal zone to 126 m depth (Ref. 9277). Usually rests on or buries itself in bottom. Can create a humming or grunting sound. More active during night time.
Max length: 51.0 cm TL.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; guarders (clutch tenders). Female attaches eggs to underside of rock. Male guards eggs and young.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2007-05-22. Resilience: Low (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).

Commercial or Environmental Importance

Fisheries: subsistence fisheries.

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.
Fitch, J.E. and R.J. Lavenberg (1975) Tidepool and nearshore fishes of California. California Natural History Guides:38. University of California Press, Berkelley and Los Angeles, California. 156 p.
Collette, B.B. (1995) Batrachoididae. Peje-sapos, sapos. p. 910-918. In W. Fischer, F. Krupp, W. Schneider, C. Sommer, K.E. Carpenter and V. Niem (eds.) Guia FAO para Identification de Especies para lo Fines de la Pesca. Pacifico Centro-Oriental. 3 Vols. FAO, Rome.

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