Leptocottus armatus
Pacific staghorn sculpin
Distribution
Description
Scaleless with an antler-shaped spine on each cheek. First dorsal fin is spiny with a dark spot towards the anterior, and the second dorsal fin is soft. Beneath the lateral line on its side, its underside can be white to orange or yellow. Will often bury itself in sandy substrate, and has the ability to breathe out of water, so may be found between tidepools. Reaches up to 48cm long.
Information
Max Size: 46 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 0.4-17.7°C
Depth: N/A
Habitat Generalization Index: N/A
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Not Evaluated
Occurrence: Widespread (100% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Solitary (1 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: Jo Schmid