Xiphister atropurpureus
Black Prickleback
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GNR
Collection Details
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Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Stichaeidae (Pricklebacks)
Xiphister
Xiphister atropurpureus (Black 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 as minute flaps (Ref. 6885). Dark reddish brown to black with head pale enough to display 3 dark light-edged bands radiating from each eye; light band sometimes prominent across base of caudal fin and extending on dorsal and anal fins (Ref. 6885).
Distribution
Eastern Pacific: Kodiak Island, Alaska to Rio Santo Tomas, northern Baja California, Mexico.
Habitat Associations
Marine. demersal. depth range 8-12 m.
Biology
Juveniles and adults inhabit intertidal areas down to 8 m depth (Ref. 2850); Individuals to 2 cm in length have been taken from surface waters (Ref. 6885). Found under rocks and in gravel areas (Ref. 2850). May remain out of water under rocks or seaweed (Ref. 31184). Breathe air (Ref. 31184) and can stay out of water for 10-23 hours if kept moist (Ref. 51276). Oviparous, eggs are laid in several clumps or masses which are guarded by the male (Ref. 58332).
Max length: 30.5 cm TL.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; guarders (nesters); parental care: paternal. Eggs are laid in several clumps or masses which are guarded by the male (Ref. 58332). 101194
IUCN Red List Status: N.E. (N.E.). Resilience: Medium (tm=2.5; Fec=1,700).
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.
Clemens, W.A. and G.V. Wilby (1961) Fishes of the Pacific coast of Canada. 2nd ed. Fish. Res. Bd. Canada Bull. (68):443 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.
Mecklenburg, C.W. and B.A. Sheiko (2004) Family Stichaeidae Gill 1864 - pricklebacks. Calif. Acad. Sci. Annotated Checklists of Fishes (35):36.
Coleman, R.M. (1999) Parental care in intertidal fishes. p. 165-180. In M.H. Horn, K.l. Martin and M.A. Chotkowski (eds.) Intertidal fishes: life in two worlds. Academic Press, USA. 399 p.
Boyle, K.S. and M.H. Horn (2006) Comparison of feeding guild structure and ecomorphology of intertidal fish assemblages from central California and central Chile. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 319:65-84.
Comments On Xiphister atropurpureus