Teleostei (teleosts) >
Ovalentaria/misc (Various families in series Ovalentaria) >
Embiotocidae (Surfperches)
Etymology: Embiotoca: Greek, embios = permanent, for all the life + Greek, tokos,-oy = birth (Ref. 45335); lateralis: lateralis meaning lateral - referring to its blue stripes (Ref. 6885).
More on author: Agassiz.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; depth range ? - 21 m (Ref. 2850). Subtropical; 58°N - 29°N, 138°W - 115°W
Eastern Pacific: Wrangell, southeastern Alaska to Point Cabras, northern Baja California, Mexico.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 38.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2850); max. reported age: 10 years (Ref. 56049)
Dorsal spines (total): 10 - 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 23 - 25; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 29 - 33. Copper ground color with dark brown overlay on back; a series of about 15 blue horizontal stripes below lateral line; head with several series of blue spots and stripes; fins coppery; dark areas on anterior part of rayed dorsal, base of caudal fin, anterior part of anal, and distal halves of pelvic fins (Ref. 6885).
Body shape (shape guide): short and / or deep.
Adults occur in rocky coasts and kelp beds, occasionally in sandy surf near rocks (Ref. 2850). Feed on small crustaceans, worms, and mussels; occasionally on herring eggs (Ref. 4925). Viviparous, female carries the developing young (Ref. 205).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Viviparous, female carries the developing young (Ref. 205).
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. (Ref. 2850)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: public aquariums
Tools
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 9.3 - 15.4, mean 10.7 °C (based on 149 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.7500 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01905 (0.00827 - 0.04391), b=2.97 (2.77 - 3.17), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.3 ±0.49 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=3; tmax=10).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low to moderate vulnerability (28 of 100).
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Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 87.1 [48.9, 153.1] mg/100g; Iron = 1.03 [0.60, 1.78] mg/100g; Protein = 18.6 [17.6, 19.6] %; Omega3 = 0.234 [0.144, 0.385] g/100g; Selenium = 20.3 [9.9, 41.2] μg/100g; VitaminA = 9.67 [2.94, 31.27] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.75 [0.53, 1.11] mg/100g (wet weight);
