Antlered Sculpin: Enophrys diceraus (Pallas, 1788)
A sculpin with well-armored cheeks
Size
- Up to 38 cm in Western North Pacific
- Less than 25 cm in Chukchi Sea
Color & Characteristics
- Upper cheek spine long and straight, extending beyond operculum and bearing 2–8 sharp spinules
- Lachrymal bone (below eye) extends down over maxilla as a forked flange with sharp points
- Rays of 2nd dorsal fin and anal fin total 23 or more
- Lateral line plates have 1 or 2 keels
Distribution & Habitat
- Boreal Pacific species
- Occasionally caught in bottom trawl nets in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas
- Benthic, coastal, typically at depths of 2–100 m
- Prefers coarse substrate including broken shells and mixed gravel, rock, sand, and mud
Feeding
- Forages along the seafloor for small benthic crustaceans and molluscs
- Long, sharp cheek spines deter predators
Life cycle
- Moves to shallow water near shore to spawn
- Juveniles settle to the bottom at 13–24 mm
- Mature at about 18 cm
Page Author: CW Mecklenburg & TA Mecklenburg
Updated: March 5, 2011
