Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) >
Scorpaeniformes (Scorpionfishes and flatheads) >
Cottidae (Sculpins)
Etymology: Myoxocephalus: Greek, myos = muscle, and also, mouse + Greek, kephale = head (Ref. 45335).
Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Marine; brackish; demersal; depth range 1 - 190 m (Ref. 27549). Temperate, preferred ?; 52°N - 36°N, 77°W - 50°W
Northwest Atlantic: eastern Newfoundland and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada to Virginia in USA.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 46.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7251); max. reported age: 11 years (Ref. 72462)
Commonly found in harbors and shallow coastal waters. Move to deeper water in winter. Adults attach their eggs near the base of a sponge to use as a spawning bed (Ref. 34819, 41075). Benthic; feeds on crustaceans, molluscs, sea squirts, squids and fishes (herring, mackerel, smelt, sand lance and silversides (Ref. 5951)) (Ref. 58426).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Adults attach their eggs near the base of a sponge to use as a spawning bed (Ref. 34819, 41075).
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray, 1986. A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p. (Ref. 7251)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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