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Perciformes/Cottoidei (Sculpins) >
Cottidae (Sculpins)
Etymology: Myoxocephalus: Greek, myos = muscle, and also, mouse + Greek, kephale = head (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; brackish; demersal; depth range 0 - 280 m (Ref. 117245). Polar; 83°N - 49°N, 142°E - 45°W (Ref. 117245)
Arctic: to James Bay and Straits of Belle Isle in Canada and Greenland.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 22.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7251)
Dorsal spines (total): 8 - 9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 14 - 17; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 11 - 13. Caudal fin rounded. Upper parts blackish-brown (paler in females), flanks with dark cross-bands (fainter in males, which have dark bordered white or silvery irregular spots under pectoral fins and above anal fin); breast and belly with dark spots in males and broad white band on reddish orange from pelvic base to anus; lower lip spotted in males (dark in females); pelvic fins with 2-3 dark cross-bands; pectoral rays blackish-brown in males, the membrane with 4-5 transverse rows of translucent spots (some light bands in females); white blotches or stripes on dorsal and anal fins (Ref. 4698).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated.
Found on rocky bottoms among algae (Ref. 4698). Benthic (Ref. 58426). Feeds on small benthic amphipods (Ref. 4698).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray, 1986. A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p. (Ref. 7251)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
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