Spineless sculpin
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Cottidae
Subfamily: Cottinae
Genus: Phallocottus
Schultz, 1938
Species:
P. obtusus
Binomial name
Phallocottus obtusus
Schultz, 1938

The spineless sculpin (Phallocottus obtusus) is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species is found in the Pacific Ocean where it is endemic to the waters around the Aleutian Islands, Alaska.

Taxonomy

The spineless sculpin was first formally described in 1938 by the American ichthyologist Leonard Peter Schultz with its type locality given as Igitkin Island.[1] Schultz classified the spineless sculpin in the new monospecific genus Phallocottus.[2] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies this genus within the subfamily Cottinae of the family Cottidae,[3] however, other authors classify the genus within the subfamily Psychrolutinae of the family Psychrolutidae.[2]

Etymology

The spineless sculpin’s genus name prefixes the name of the type genus of the Cottidae, Cottus with phallos, which means “penis”. This is an allusion to the conical papillae at the anus. The specific name obtusus means “blunt” and is a reference to rather blunt and rounded spine on the preoperculum.[4]

Description

The spineless sculpin was classified in its own monotypic genus because it differs from related genera by having a combination of no teeth on the palatine and having an arched lateral line with smooth skin, a short, rounded blunt preopercular spine and the gill membranes are broadly joined across the throat. The position of the anus, closer to the pelvic fins than the anal fin, is also a distinguishing character.[5]

Distribution and habitat

The spineless sculpin is found in the North Pacific Ocean where it is only known from the waters around the Aleutian Islands. It is a demersal fish that occurs at depths of from 0 to 150 m (0 to 492 ft).[6]

References

  1. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Phallocottus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  2. 1 2 Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Psychrolutinae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  3. ↑ J. S. Nelson; T. C. Grande; M. V. H. Wilson (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Wiley. pp. 467–495. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6.
  4. ↑ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (22 October 2022). "Order Perciformes: Suborder Cottoidea: Infraorder Cottales: Family Cottidae (Sculpins)". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  5. ↑ L. P. Schultz (1938). "A new genus and two new species of cottoid fishes from the Aleutian Islands" (PDF). Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 85 (3038): 187–191.
  6. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2023). Phallocottus&speciesname=obtusus" Phallocottus obtusus" in FishBase. August 2023 version.
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