Species: Cottus perplexus
Reticulate Sculpin
Species
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Craniata
Class
Actinopterygii
Order
Scorpaeniformes
Family
Cottidae
Genus
Cottus
NatureServe
Classification
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Vertebrates - Fishes - Bony Fishes - Other Bony Fishes
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Craniata - Actinopterygii - Scorpaeniformes - Cottidae - Cottus - Previously synonymized with C. GULOSUS; resurrected as a distinct species by Robins and Miller (1957); morphology indicates that PERPLEXUS is more closely allied to C. KLAMATHENSIS than to C. GULOSUS. Formerly included in the order Perciformes; the 1991 AFS checklist (Robins et al. 1991) followed Nelson (1984) in recognizing the order Scorpaeniformes as distinct from the Perciformes.
Ecology and Life History
Short General Description
A small benthic fish
Habitat Type Description
Freshwater
Migration
false - false - false
Non-migrant
false
Locally Migrant
false
Food Comments
Feeds primarily on aquatic insect larvae (e.g., larvae of: mayfles, stonefies, chironomids, beetles, caddisflies, etc.). Rarely eats fishes (Moyle 1976).
Reproduction Comments
Slow growing; reaches maturity at 2 years of age. Spawns in spring when water temperature exceeds 6-7 C. Fecundity ranges from 35 to 315 eggs per female, depending on size (Moyle 1976). Male guards nest with eggs contributed by multiple females.
Length
11
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G4
Global Status Last Reviewed
2003-09-03
Global Status Last Changed
2003-09-03
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
<img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?US.CA=S2&US.OR=S4&US.WA=S5" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
Global Range
F - 20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles) - F - Range includes Pacific Slope drainages from the Snohomish River and Puget Sound, Washington, south to the Rogue River system, Oregon and California (Page and Burr 1991), including the Willamette and Upper Deschutes river drainages and, in California, the Middle Fork of the Applegate River and tributary creeks of the Rogue River drainage (e.g., Elliot Creek) (Moyle et al. 1989). Some populations are isolated by dams from other populations downstream.
Global Range Code
F
Global Range Description
20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)