PHYLUM:
Chordata; CLASS: Osteichthyes SUPERORDER: Teleostei
FAMILY: Cottidae
GENUS: Cottus; SPECIES: ricei;
DESCRIBER: Nelson
Position
of Cottus
ricei in
worldwide arrangement of fish species.
What are SPOONHEAD
SCULPINS?
Spoonhead Sculpins are 50–65 cm (2–2.5
in), light brown, almost tubular sculpins of the
family Cottidae. Their distribution in freshwaters
are not well recorded by direct observations but
they range widely with many records based on stomach
contents of deep-water living lake trout and/or
burbots. Spoonhead sculpins eat aquatic insect
larvae and nymphs, aquatic
crustacea and fish.
EARLY
LIFE HISTORY of the SPOONHEAD
SCULPIN:
Spawning Season of Adult SPOONHEAD
SCULPINS: The spawning
season of SPOONHEAD SCULPINS is not known for certain.
We caught Spoonhead Sculpin
babies between 8 mm and 10 mm
in length in near- surface waters in May with a conical,
fine-mesh townet, suggesting a spring spawning period
in Lac Heney, Québec.
Where SPOONHEAD SCULPIN Eggs are Found:
It is not known for certain
where and how spoonhead sculpins deposit their eggs.
Characteristics of Eggs:
It
is
not
known
for
certain
what
SPOONHEAD SCULPINS
eggs
look like.
Size of Babies at Hatching: Spoonhead
Sculpin babies
become free-swimming at 7
mm to 8 mm so they hatch at 6.5–7 mm.
Movements of SPOONHEAD SCULPIN Babies after
hatching: Baby SPOONHEAD SCULPINS probably hatch
in nests, as most cottids do. Collections with
fine-mesh townets suggest they swim around in limnetic
areas singly and/or in small numbers, not in schools.
They were caught them in Lac Heney, Québec
in limnetic regions (Ref. 17).
