Myoxocephalus aenaeus

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Cottidae
Genus: Myoxocephalus
Species:
M. aenaeus
Binomial name
Myoxocephalus aenaeus
(Mitchill, 1814)[2]
Synonyms[3]
  • Cottus aenaeus Mitcill, 1814

Myoxocephalus aenaeus, commonly known as the grubby, or little sculpin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species is found in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean.

Taxonomy

Myoxocephalus aenaeus was first formally described as Cottus aenaeus in 1814 by the American physician and naturalist Samuel L. Mitchill with its type locality given as New York.[4] The specific name aenaeus means "brazen", as in brassy, a reference to the yellowish "brass-colored" body and "brassy-white" belly.[5]

Description

Myoxocephalus aenaeus is variable in color, varying from brown to gray, marked with darker saddles along the back. The upper spine on the preoperculum is not greater than double the length of the lower spine. There is no pore under the gills behind the last gill arch. The anal fin is supported by between 9 and 11 soft rays.[6] This species reaches a maximum published total length of 18 cm (7.1 in).[3]

Distribution and habitat

Myoxocephalus aenaeus is native to the northwest Atlantic, with a range extending from Belle Isle and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to New Jersey.[3]

Reproduction and development

Myoxocephalus aenaeus has a spawning season which begins in winter and extends into spring. Spawning begins in coastal waters and later occurs in offshore oceanic waters. The spawning in coastal waters has been reported to occur only in winter and early spring. Parts of the central Atlantic only allow for spawning times between February and May, but judging by larval presence in the Middle Atlantic Blight, spawning occurs there from March until June.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Myoxocephalus aenaeus Grubby". NatureServe. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  2. ↑ Nicolas Bailly (2008). "Myoxocephalus aenaeus (Mitcill, 1814)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2022). "Myoxocephalus aenaeus" in FishBase. August 2022 version.
  4. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Myoxocephalus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  5. ↑ 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 3 February 2023.
  6. ↑ "Myoxocephalus aenaeus". Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  7. ↑ Roseman, Edward. "Relative Abundance, Age, Growth, and Fecundity of Grubby Myoxocephalus Aenaeus in Niantic River and Niantic Bay, Long Island Sound." Journal of Sea Research 53.4 (2005): 10. Print.
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