Myoxocephalus scorpius (Linnaeus, 1758)
Shorthorn sculpin
Shorthorn sculpin,  Bullhead,  Arctic sculpin,  Bull-rout,  Daddy sculpin,  European sculpin,  Father-lasher,  Greenland bullhead,  Greenland sculpin,  Sea-scorpion,  Short-spined,  Short-spined sea scorpion,  Shorthorn sculpin
Myoxocephalus scorpius
photo by Østergaard, T.

Family:  Cottidae (Sculpins)
Max. size:  60 cm TL (male/unsexed); max. reported age: 18 years
Environment:  demersal; brackish; marine; depth range 0 - 451 m
Distribution:  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.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 7-11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13-19; Anal spines: 0-0; 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).
Biology:  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.
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless
Country info:   
 


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