Longspined bullhead

📖 Overview

Facultative air-breathing ; A resident intertidal species with homing behavior . Inhabits tide pools and inshore waters on rocky bottoms or among algae at 0-30 m. Can leave tide pools when conditions become inhospitable . Feeds on mysids, amphipods (gammarids), decapods, polychaetes, mollusks, ophiuroids and fishes. Breathes air when out of water . Information on maximum length for male taken from Ref. 4698.

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Longest spine on the front gill cover reaches backwards to a point below the foremost part of the dorsal fin. Gill membranes joined to the throat, no bony knobs above or under the rough lateral line .: fusiform / normal.

🌀 Behaviour

Bullhead are predators that will eat prawns, molluscs and small fish such as gobies and blennies. Despite their small size they are aggressive and will attack fish bigger than themselves. They lie in wait for prey, camouflaged against rocks and weed before striking out at anything that passes. Like all fish in the family Cottidae, the bullhead does not have a swim bladder, meaning that it sinks as soon as it stops swimming. Breeding takes place in early spring and fertilisation is internal, the eggs are laid in algae and are guarded by the adults. Once the fry hatch, they go offshore for a while, before returning to the coast. The reproduction of this species has not been fully studied however. They can be found from tidal areas to 30 m (1,180 in) down, though they are most common at the coast.

🦐 Diet

🥚 Reproduction

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; brackish; demersal; non-migratory; depth range 0 - 200 m . Temperate; 72°N - 35°N, 24°W - 33°E

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🌐 Names & Taxonomy

Scientific Synonyms

🔍 Similar Species

🗺️ Global Occurrence Map

Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 35 records indexed .

👥 Community & Contribute