Eyeshade Sculpin: Nautichthys pribilovius (Jordan & Gilbert, 1898)
The only sailfin sculpin (family Hemitripteridae) to venture into the Beaufort Sea
Size
- 10.9 cm
Color & Characteristics
- Tall, sail-like 1st dorsal fin
- Tiny 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 spinule
Habitat
- Predominantly boreal Pacific
- 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 Author: CW Mecklenburg & TA Mecklenburg
Updated: March 5, 2011
