Mottled sculpin
📖 Overview
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 . They feed mainly on aquatic insect larvae, but also on crustaceans, annelids, fishes, fish eggs, and plant material . Spawn in the spring . A male guards the cluster of eggs laid by different females . Neither anterolateral glandular groove nor venom gland is present .
🔬 Taxonomy
🐟 Physical Description
Physical description for Mottled sculpin is currently being compiled.
🌀 Behaviour
Behavioural data for Mottled sculpin is currently being reviewed.
🦐 Diet
Diet information for Mottled sculpin is currently being compiled.
🥚 Reproduction
Male selects a nesting site under a rock of ledge. Male entices a female to enter the nest. Female deposits eggs on the upper surface of the rock and leaves or is driven out of the nest. Eggs are deposited by different females. The male guards the eggs from predators and maintains a natural current flow . Also Ref. 53335.
🌍 Habitat & Distribution
Freshwater; demersal; non-migratory ; depth range ? - 16 m . Temperate; 59°N - 34°N North America: widespread with highly disjunct distribution in Canada and USA.
🌿 Ecology
aquatic insect larvae, but also on crustaceans, annelids, fishes, fish eggs, and plant material (Ref
📐 Morphometrics
🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance
🛡️ Conservation Assessment
📊 Population Risk & Fisheries
🌐 Names & Taxonomy
| Language | Common Names |
|---|---|
| 🇬🇧English | mottled sculpin · Beard's Sculpin · Blob · Bullhead · Cabezon · Columbia Sculpin · Freshwater Sculpin · Gudgeon · Miller's Thumb · Muddler · Sculpin · Sea Raven · Speckled Sculpin |
| 🇫🇷French | chabot tacheté |
Scientific Synonyms
| Scientific Name | Author | Year | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cottopsis semiscaber | Cope | 1872 | Synonym |
| Cottus bairdii bairdii | - | - | Synonym |
| Cottus bairdii kumlieni | Hoy | 1876 | Synonym |
| Cottus bairdii punctulatus | Gill | 1861 | Synonym |
| Cottus bairdii semiscaber | Cope | 1872 | Synonym |
| Cottus hubbsi bairdii | Girard | 1850 | Synonym |
| Cottus ictalops | Rafinesque | 1820 | Synonym |
| Cottus meridionalis | Girard | 1850 | Heterotypic |
| Cottus punctulatus | Gill | 1861 | Synonym |
| Cottus richardsoni | Agassiz | 1850 | Synonym |
| Cottus semiscaber | Cope | 1872 | Synonym |
| Pegedictis ictalops | Rafinesque | 1820 | Synonym |
| Potamocottus punctulatus | Gill | 1861 | Synonym |
| Uranidea kumlieni | Hoy | 1876 | Synonym |
| Uranidea richardsoni | Agassiz | 1850 | Synonym |
| Uranidea semiscabra | Cope | 1872 | Synonym |
| Uranidea semiscabra centropleura | Eigenmann & Eigenmann | 1889 | Synonym |
🔍 Similar Species
🗺️ Global Occurrence Map
Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 206 records indexed .
👥 Community & Contribute
No observations yet - be the first to log one!
View all observations for Mottled sculpin ↗Spotted incorrect or outdated data? Submit a correction and our editorial team will review it. Approved edits go live within 48 hours.
Found a factual error, broken data, or inappropriate content? Let us know and we will investigate promptly.