Wattled Eelpout: Lycodes palearis Gilbert, 1896
A subarctic Pacific eelpout, also abundant in Chukchi Sea
Size
- 62 cm
Color & Characteristics
- Brown or reddish brown body and fins; 9 or 10 narrow, creamy white bands on upper body and dorsal fin; bands fade with growth. Young fish (< 22 cm) with 2 narrow, pale bands on head in front of dorsal fin and black blotch on dorsal fin near front
- The blackish dorsal fin blotch disappears with growth of the fish
- Chin crests tall, pointed and projecting anteriorly; pectoral fin rays 17–19; dense scales on belly, nape, dorsal and anal fins; lateral line pattern ventrolateral, ascending part barely discernible
Habitat
- Predominantly boreal Pacific
- Benthic, at depths of 2–925 m, nearly always < 200 m
- Found on muddy or sandy bottoms
Feeding
- Eats gammarid amphipods, various shrimps and crabs, other eelpouts, polychaetes, other benthic invertebrates
- Eaten by Pacific cod, Greenland and Pacific halibuts, other benthic fishes, and probably seabirds
Life cycle
- No data
- Eggs assumed demersal, adhesive, and larvae demersal, as with other Lycodes
Page Author: CW Mecklenburg & TA Mecklenburg
Updated: March 5, 2011
