Cottus bairdii Girard, 1850 Mottled sculpin |
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Chabot tacheté, Mottled sculpin, Beard's sculpin, Bullhead, Chabot tacheté, Blob, Cabezon, Columbia sculpin, Freshwater sculpin, Gudgeon, Hl'aama, K'ayeet, Miller's thumb, Mottled sculpin, Muddler, Sculpin, Sea raven, Speckled sculpin |
photo by
N. Burkhead & R. Jenkins, courtesy of VDGIF |
Family: | Cottidae (Sculpins) | |||
Max. size: | 15 cm TL (male/unsexed); max. reported age: 2 years | |||
Environment: | demersal; freshwater; depth range - 16 m | |||
Distribution: | North America: widespread with highly disjunct distribution in Canada and USA. The former Blue Ridge race of the Atlantic slope of the Appalachian Mountains is now recognized as a distinct species Cottus caeruleomentum. | |||
Diagnosis: | ||||
Biology: | Adults occur in rubble and gravel riffles, less often in sand-gravel runs of headwaters, creeks and small rivers. Also found in springs and their effluents and rocky shores of lakes (Ref. 1998, 10294). Feed mainly on aquatic insect larvae, but also on crustaceans, annelids, fishes, fish eggs, and plant material (Ref. 1998, 10294). Spawn in the spring (Ref. 1998). A male guards the cluster of eggs laid by different females (Ref. 1998). Neither anterolateral glandular groove nor venom gland is present (Ref. 57406). | |||
IUCN Red List Status: | Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 08 November 2011 Ref. (130435) | |||
Threat to humans: | harmless | |||
Country info: | Misapplied name for Cottus hubbsi (Ref. 112313). See the taxonomic note in its species summary page. Mistake in Ref. 52559: Ranges from British Columbia to Newfoundland. But the species has actually a disjunctive distribution (Ref. 112313. *** Ref. 52559 and Ref. 5723. TO BE CHECKED*** |