Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Scorpaeniformes (Scorpionfishes and flatheads) > Cottidae (Sculpins)
Etymology: Myoxocephalus: Greek, myos = muscle, and also, mouse + Greek, kephale = head (Ref. 45335).

Environment / Climate / Range Ecology

Marine; brackish; demersal; depth range 0 - 451 m (Ref. 58496). Polar; 80°N - 40°N, 95°W - 60°E

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ?, range 15 - 30 cm
Max length : 60.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9925); common length : 24.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4698)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 7 - 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13-19; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 9 - 15; Vertebrae: 34 - 39. Caudal fin rounded. Greenish brown above, often with dark blotches and bright milky-white spots above pectoral fins; underside cherry red (males) or light orange (females) with white spots; fins with dark bands (Ref. 4698).

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions | Faunafri

Eastern Atlantic: south-eastern coasts of Greenland, Jan Mayen Island, Iceland to British Isles and southward to Bay of Biscay, also North Sea, Baltic Sea, Spitsbergen and southern part of Barents Sea (including White Sea). Western Atlantic: James Bay in Canada to New York, USA (Ref. 7251). Arctic Ocean.

Found on rocky bottoms with sand or mud, or among seaweeds (Ref. 4698). Benthic (Ref. 58426). Feeds on fishes, large crustaceans, occasionally polychaetes and amphipods (Ref. 4698). During the spawning season, the male's underside becomes deep red with white spots.

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Fedorov, V.V., 1986. Cottidae. p. 1243-1260. In P.J.P. Whitehead, M.-L. Bauchot, J.-C. Hureau, J. Nielsen and E. Tortonese (eds.) Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 3.

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 90363)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Aquarium: public aquariums

FAO(Publication : search) | FisheriesWiki | Sea Around Us

More information

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Ecology
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Common names
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Internet sources

Estimates of some properties based on empirical models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805): PD₅₀ = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01033 (-0.04426 - 0.06492), b=3.08 (3.04 - 3.11), based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref. 93245).

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278): 3.9 ±0.4 se; Based on diet studies.

Resilience (Ref. 69278): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=2; Fec=2,742).

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Moderate vulnerability (37 of 100) .

Price category (Ref. 80766): Very high.

Myoxocephalus scorpius (Linnaeus, 1758)