Eyeshade Sculpin: Nautichthys pribilovius (Jordan & Gilbert, 1898)
The only member of the sculpin family Hemitripteridae to venture into the Arctic Ocean
Size
- 10.9 cm (4.3 in)
Color & Characteristics
- Tall, sail-like 1st dorsal fin
- Ttiny sharp prickles all over body
- Knobby spines on top of head
- Blackish bar through eye and across cheek
- The prickles are modified platelike scales bearing a single skin-covered spinules.
Habitat
- Subarctic-arctic
- Benthic, in shallow water near shore to depth of 422 m (49–1,385 ft), typically < 135 m,
- On coarse substrates including broken shell, sand, pebbles, and rock
- Prefers near-bottom temperatures above 0°C (to 9.8–11.4°C off Pt. Hope, eastern Chukchi Sea)
- Presence indicates warm water in northern Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea
Feeding
- Unstudied
Life cycle
- Little is known
- About 50 eggs, 2.5–2.7 mm in diameter
Page Authors: Kitty and Tony Mecklenburg
Created: Feb 12, 2009
