Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Scorpaeniformes (Scorpionfishes and flatheads) > Cottidae (Sculpins)
Etymology: Cottus:Greek, kottos = a fish (Ref. 45335); carolinae:Named after Miss Caroline Henry, friend of the species describer (Ref. 10294). More on author: Gill.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology
North America: upland streams in Mississippi River basin from New River drainage in West Virginia and Virginia, across central Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois to Ozark Mountain drainages in Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma in the USA; south to Mobile drainage in Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama, USA.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm? range ? - ? cm Max length : 18.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5723); common length : 9.5 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 12193)
Inhabit gravel and rubble riffles of headwaters, creeks and small rivers. Also occur in springs and their effluents (Ref 5723, 10294). Young feed on aquatic insect immatures of many kinds, including caddisflies, mayflies, and midge larvae; adults on stonefly nymphs and maturing stages of other insects (Ref. 10294).
Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr, 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 432 p. (Ref. 5723)
