Species: Leptocottus armatus
Pacific Staghorn Sculpin
Species
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound

Articles:
A 2015 article published in the Marine Ecology Progress Series identifies intraspecific differences in diet between harbor seals in the Salish Sea, suggesting implications for marine reserve management.

This paper looks at 21 years of data on estuarine demersal fish in Puget Sound, assessing changes in population after the closure of bottom trawl fisheries.

Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Craniata
Class
Actinopterygii
Order
Scorpaeniformes
Family
Cottidae
Genus
Leptocottus
NatureServe
Classification
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Vertebrates - Fishes - Bony Fishes - Other Bony Fishes
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Craniata - Actinopterygii - Scorpaeniformes - Cottidae - Leptocottus - 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
Habitat Type Description
Freshwater
Migration
false - true - false - Recently metamorphosed young may move from estuarine areas into fresh water.
Non-migrant
false
Locally Migrant
true
Food Comments
Juveniles feed mainly on benthic organisms (e.g., amphipods, insect larvae, and polychaete worms). Adults consume shrimps, crabs and fish, as well as crustaceans and marine worms (Wydoski and Whitney 1979).
Reproduction Comments
Mature when one year old. Spawns October-March, usually January-February. Females lay between 2,000 to 11,000 eggs, depending on their size (Moyle 1976).
Ecology Comments
Life span seldom more than 3 years. Mostly a sedentary fish, but may move rapidly on occasion. Eaten by cormorants, sea lions, etc.
Length
46
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G5
Global Status Last Reviewed
1996-09-06
Global Status Last Changed
1996-09-06
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
<img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.BC=SNR&US.AK=S5&US.CA=SNR&US.OR=S4&US.WA=S4" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
Global Range
San Quintin Bay, Baja California, north to Kodiak Island and west to Unga Island, Aleutians, Alaska (Lee et al. 1980).