Scientific Name
Malacocottus aleuticus

Common Name
Whitetail sculpin

Biology
Dorsal spines : 7 - 10; Dorsal soft rays : 13-15; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 10 - 13; Vertebrae: 31 - 32. Body minutely speckled with black; broad black bands from soft dorsal fin to anal fin and behind pectoral axil; caudal peduncle and fin white. Pelvic fins very small; caudal fin rounded.

Classification

Classified By

Smith, 1904

Class

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)

Order

Scorpionfishes and Flatheads (Scorpaeniformes)

Family

Fatheads (Psychrolutidae)

Distribution

Region

North Pacific

Distribution

North Pacific: off southeastern Kamchatka and Sea of Okhotsk off southwest coast of Kamchatka, eastern Sakhalin Island, and Hokkaido, Japan. Also from the Bering Sea north of Rat Islands and Prince William Sound, Alaska.

Range

Unknown

Environment

Climate

Deep-water

Water Temperature From

Unknown °C

Water Temperature To

Unknown °C

Depth From - meters

300 m

Depth To - meters

1000 m

Zone

benthopelagic

Environment

Marine; benthopelagic; depth range 300 - 1000 m , usually 300 - 600 m

Trophic Level

3.19 s.e. 0.40 Based on size and trophs of closest relatives

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

9.8 cm

Common Length

Unknown cm

Phylogenetic Diversity Index

PD50 = 0.5625 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses

Unknown

Vulnerability

Low to moderate vulnerability (26 of 100)

Resilience

High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Threat To Humans

Harmless

IUCN Red List Status

Not Evaluated