Scientific Name
Sebastolobus alascanus

Common Name
Shortspine thornyhead

Biology
Very common on soft bottoms (Ref. 2850). Oviparous (Ref. 205). Eggs are extruded in floating gelatinous masses (Ref. 31279). Have a thick glandular tissue on posterior margin of fin spines which is believed to be venomous (Ref. 57406). Rarely taken by game fishers (Ref. 27436). Flesh sweeter than that of other rockfishes (Ref. 27436).

Classification

Classified By

Bean, 1890

Class

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)

Order

Scorpionfishes and Flatheads (Scorpaeniformes)

Family

Rockfishes, rockcods and thornyheads (Sebastidae)

Distribution

Region

North Pacific

Distribution

North Pacific: Sea of Okhotsk north to the Navarin Canyon in the Bering Sea and from Stalemate Bank and Ulm Plateau in the Aleutian Islands southeast to Cedros Island, Baja California, Mexico. Reported from Japan (Ref. 559).

Range

Unknown

Environment

Climate

Deep-water

Water Temperature From

Unknown °C

Water Temperature To

Unknown °C

Depth From - meters

17 m

Depth To - meters

1600 m

Zone

bathydemersal

Environment

Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 17 - 1600 m (Ref. 50550), usually 91 - ? m (Ref. 2850)

Trophic Level

3.61 s.e. 0.58 Based on diet studies.

Occurs in Marine / Salt water

True

Occurs in Brackish water

False

Occurs in Fresh Water

False

Occurs on Reefs

False

Is kept in Aquariums

False

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length

80.0 cm

Common Length

Unknown cm

Phylogenetic Diversity Index

PD50 = 0.6250 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses

Fisheries: minor commercial

Vulnerability

High to very high vulnerability (70 of 100)

Resilience

Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (tmax: 115 (validated age: 62 yrs); tm=41; Fec > 10,000)

Threat To Humans

Venomous (Ref. 57406)

IUCN Red List Status

Endangered (EN) (A2d)