Tag Archive: California Costal Reef


4-10-19 Black Surfperch from Ron’s California Coastal Marine Series

Filed under: TEMPERATE MARINE — Leave a comment
April 10, 2019

TAXONOMY

Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Suborder:Labroidei
Family: Embiotocidae (surfperches)                

Genus/species: Embiotoca jacksoni                           

 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS:The body is deep and compressed. Their colors are various shades of brown, red, green above, yellowish below, darker bars on sides with a blue bar on base of anal fin. Note a mustache-like black bar on upper lip.  

Length up to 39 cm (15 in)

 

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT; Black Surfperch are found from Fort Bragg, California to Punta Abreojos, Baja California, Mexico nearshore reefs and kelp forests. They are also found over sand, and in estuaries near algae usually within 1 m (3 ft) of the substrate.

DIET IN THE WILD: E. jacksoni  feed on worms, crustaceans and mollusks. They are also cleaner fish of conspecifics as well as other species.

REPRODUCTION: Summer is the peak breeding season. Fertilization is internal. Viviparous; young embryos are nourished internally and are quite large as newborns.

PREDATORS: Leopard sharks

CONSERVATION: Not evaluated

REMARKS: The species name jacksoni, is after A.C. Jackson, who, in the 19th century, first noted that surfperches gave birth to live young.  Fertilization is also internal as it is in Rockfishes.

References

California Academy of Sciences, Steinhart Aquarium, California Coastal Marine 2019

Ron’s flickr  http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/4716007223/in/set-72157608359804936/

Ron’s WordPress Shortlink  http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-C7

eol eol.org/pages/207197/details 

fishbase www.fishbase.org/summary/3628

 

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10-30-17 Ocean Whitefish from Ron’s California Coastal Marine Series

Filed under: TEMPERATE MARINE — Leave a comment
October 30, 2017

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-likes)
Family: Malacanthidae (Tilefishes)

Genus//species: Caulolatilus princeps

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Color is yellowish-brown above and whitish below with a yellow tail. Elongate with a small mouth and fleshy lips. Dorsal and anal fins are long with blue and yellow stripes. Pelvic fins are thoracic. Fins have a yellow or yellowish-green edge.

Length up to 102 cm (40 in)
Weight up to 5.8 kg (12.76 lbs)

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: British Columbia to Peru, including the Galapagos Islands. Offshore rocky reefs, depths to 10–90 m. Found on muddy bottoms, soft sand as well as rocky bottoms.

LONGEVITY: 13 yrs or more.

CONSERVATION: IUCN Least Concern

REMARKS: Caulolatilus princeps are currently not an important commercial fish. (Overfished in the 1920’s and 1930’s).

References

California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium California Rocky Coast 2017

Ron’s flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/37346112854/in/album-72157608359804936/

fishbase www.fishbase.org/summary/3539

Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H. Hammann, 1983. A field guide to Pacific coast fishes of North America. Boston (MA, USA): Houghton Mifflin Company. pp 202-203.

Probably More Than You Want To Know About The Fishes Of The Pacific Coast, Milton Love 1996 Really Big Press pp. 235

IUCN www.iucnredlist.org/details/183991/0

 

Ron’s WordPress Shortlink   http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-F7

 

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9-15-17 Treefish from Ron’s California Coastal Marine Series

Filed under: TEMPERATE MARINE, Uncategorized — Leave a comment
September 15, 2017

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Order: Scorpaeniformes (Scorpionfishes and flatheads)
Family: Sebastidae (Rockfishes, rockcods and thornyheads)

Genus/species: Sebastes serriceps

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS:  One of the most striking, unusually marked rockfishes, with 5-6 black bars over a yellowish to olive body and red lips and chin. Compact body with large head venomous spines.

NOTE: Other barred rockfishes are not yellow or olive.

IMG_8885

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT:  San Francisco to central Baja California Inhabiting areas with numerous caves, crevices and other protective recesses. They are solitary and territorial and usually found between 6–40 m (19-125 ft) a maximum depth of 45 m (190 ft).

DIET IN THE WILD: Most probably either crepuscular (feeding at dawn and dusk) or nighttime ambush predator, feeding on shrimp, crabs and small fishes.

REPRODUCTION: Viviparous, same as other Sebastes sp.

PREDATORS: Sharks, dolphins, and seals.

LONGEVITY: Live up to 25 years

REMARKS: S. serriceps is an important species in both the nearshore recreational fishery and in the commercial live fish fishery.

Serriceps means “saw head” in latin, referring to the large head spines. See below on this immature Treefish.

References

Ron’s flickr  https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/4689974860/in/set-72157608333101710/

California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium California Rocky Coast 2017

Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H. Hammann, 1983. A field guide to Pacific coast fishes of North America. Boston (MA, USA): Houghton Mifflin Company. p. 151

Probably More Than You Want To Know About The Fishes Of The Pacific Coast, Milton Love 1996 Really Big Press ppg. 193-194

eol eol.org/pages/212870/details 

CA dept of fish and gamewww.dfg.ca.gov/marine/nearshorefinfish/treefish.asp

Ron’s WordPress Shortlink  http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-1iR

 

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8-7-17 Canary Rockfish from Ron’s California Coastal Marine Series

Filed under: TEMPERATE MARINE — Leave a comment
August 7, 2017

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Order: Scorpaeniformes (Scorpionfishes and flatheads)
Family: Sebastidae (Rockfishes, rockcods and thornyheads)

Genus/species: Sebastes pinniger

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: The Canary Rockfish is bright yellow to orange mottled on a light gray background with 3 orange stripes across head and orange fins. The Lateral line is in a clear area. The pectoral, pelvic, and anal fins are moderately pointed and are large.

Length up to 76 cm (2.5 ft)

 

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: They are found from Alaska to Baja California, Mexico.
S. pinniger adults hover in loose groups above rocky bottoms at average depths of 80–200 m (264-660 ft).

DIET IN THE WILD: They feed on small fishes and krill.

REPRODUCTION: they are mature at 14 in (36 cm) or 5-6 years old., Fertilization: Internal fertilization, ovoviviparous

LONGEVITY: Up to 75 years

CONSERVATION: IUCN Not Evaluated
Minimum population doubling time 4.5 – 14 years. Various state restrictions on fishing have been put in place over the years, including banning retention of canary rockfish in Washington in 2003. Because this species is slow-growing, late to mature, and long-lived, recovery from these threats will take many years, even if the threats are no longer affecting the species.

REMARKS: The Vermillion Rockfish which is similar is more reddish and the lateral one is not in the grey zone.

References

Ron’s flickr Rockfishes https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/7786389830/in/album-72157608359804936/

Ron’s flickr Canary Rockfish http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/sets/72157608359804936/with/7564182434/

California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium California Rocky Reef 2017

PacificCoast Fishes Eschmeyer and Herald 1983 Easton Press page 146

fishbase www.fishbase.org/summary/3989

NOAA FISHERIES 2-3-17 www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pr/species/fish/canary-rockfish.html

Ron’s WordPress shortlink wp.me/p1DZ4b-Dm

 

 

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8-1-17 Striped Surfperch from Ron’s California Coastal Marine Series

Filed under: Subtropical Marine — Leave a comment
August 1, 2017

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Embiotocidae (Surfperches)

Genus/species: Embiotoca lateralis

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: The Striped Surfperch is reddish orange with brilliant neon blue stripes and iridescent blue streaks and spots on head and gill cover. Fins are coppery; dark areas on anterior part of rayed dorsal, base of caudal fin, anterior part of anal, and distal halves of pelvic fins.

Length up to 38 cm (15 inches)

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Subtropical. Wrangell, Alaska to northern Baja California, Mexico along rocky coasts and kelp forests, estuarine eelgrass beds, occasionally in sandy surf near rocks.

Depth to 21 m (65 ft).  

DIET IN THE WILD: Feeds only during the day on amphipods (crustacea, shrimp-like in form), shrimps, crabs, worms, other small benthic invertebrates, fish eggs and larvae.

REPRODUCTION: Fertilization internal. Viviparous. Mature at 2–3 years (~25cm). Females produce 11–92 young per litter.

LONGEVITY: Up to 10 years.

PREDATORS: E. lateralis is preyed upon by rockfish, fished commercially, also by sportfishers and speared by divers.

CONSERVATION: IUCN Not Evaluated

REMARKS: Primarily uses pectoral fins to swim followed by the caudal fine if increased speed ids needed..

References

Ron’s flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/3236211065/in/set-72157608348783942/

California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium California Coastal Reef 2017

fishbase fishbase.org/summary/3629

Ron’s WordPress Shortlink wp.me/p1DZ4b-Cg

 eol eol.org/pages/207198/details

 

 

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