TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-likes)
Family: Kyphosidae (Sea chubs) All similar families recognized by combination of ovate body, small mouth, strong caudal fin
Genus/species: Girella nigricans
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: The body has an ovally rounded football-shaped profile. Color is olive-green, frequently shaded with blue or gray; often the snout has a white-colored area. It can display a silvery-white spotted pattern over the entire body; one to three whitespots on back. Bright blue to blue-green eyes. They often have a white bar across the snout.
Length up to 26 inches weight up to 13 1/2 pounds (most caught off piers are under 16 inches)
DISTRIBUTION?HABITAT: Oregon to southern Baja California intertidal species with strong homing behavior. Can leave tide pools if aquatic conditions become inhospitable. Also found near or over rocky reefs and in kelp beds up to about 30 m (100 ft) depth..
DIET IN THE WILD: Omnivore feeding diurnally, mainly on seaweeds;
occasionally take invertebrates.
REPRODUCTION: Oviparous
PREDATORS: A popular sport fish, also a mild, good-eating fish, sold commercially as “perch.”
References
California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium Southern California Kelp Forest 2017
Ron’s flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/8394553449/in/album-72157633391356187/
fishbase fishbase.org/summary/Girella-nigricans.html
Pacific Coast Fishes Eschmeyer, Herald and Hammann page 223
More Than You Want To Know About The Fishes of the Pacific Coast Milton Love 1996 Page 255
Ron’s WordPress Shortlink http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-Xt
Ron's Critter of the Day 