The Baikal yellowfin (''Cottocomephorus grewingkii''), also known as the yellow-finned sculpin or yellow-wing sculpin, is a species of freshwater
ray-finned fish belonging to the
family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species is
endemic to
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal (, russian: Oзеро Байкал, Ozero Baykal ); mn, Байгал нуур, Baigal nuur) is a rift lake in Russia. It is situated in southern Siberia, between the federal subjects of Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Repu ...
and its tributaries in
Siberia, Russia.
It is most common in the southern part of the lake and lives from near the shore to a depth of .
[
]
Appearance
It can reach up to in total length,[ but most are .][ During the breeding season, the male's head becomes black when encountering other males.][
]
Behavior
The Baikal yellowfin feeds on copepod
Copepods (; meaning "oar-feet") are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat (ecology), habitat. Some species are planktonic (inhabiting sea waters), some are benthos, benthic (living on the ocean floor) ...
s (notably '' Epischura baikalensis''), amphipod
Amphipoda is an order of malacostracan crustaceans with no carapace and generally with laterally compressed bodies. Amphipods range in size from and are mostly detritivores or scavengers. There are more than 9,900 amphipod species so far descr ...
s, insect larvae and fish larvae.[ There are three separate breeding periods: March, May and August. There are some differences in the breeding behavior and site depending on when the fish breeds.][ Breeding occurs at a depth of in a crevice under a rock, which measures from to . The distance between the rock's flat underside and the bottom is preferably .][ The female lays 389 to 3136 eggs on the underside of the rock (upperside of the crevice), which are guarded by the male and if he disappears, the eggs usually perish.][ The eggs hatch after 15–20 days at a water temperature of , and 20–24 days at . After hatching, the fish larvae initially survive off their yolk sac and then start feeding on copepods.][ The Baikal yellowfin can reach an age of up to six years and reach sexual maturity when two or three.][
]
Status and threats
Young Baikal yellowfins are important food for other fish such as the omul.[ Until the 1950s and 60s, the Baikal yellowfin was fished in large numbers, but it declined and is not commercially fished anymore.][ A prime reason for the decline was the Irkutsk Hydroelectric Power Station, which caused siltation of the breeding grounds.][ Another threat are algal mats ('' Spirogyra'' and '']Ulothrix
''Ulothrix'' is a genus of green algae in the family Ulotrichaceae.
''Ulothrix'' is a genus of non-branching filamentous green algae, generally found in fresh and marine water. Its cells are normally as broad as they are long, and they thrive in ...
''), which during blooms may cover their breeding grounds.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2591239
Baikal yellowfin
Fish of Lake Baikal
Freshwater fish of Asia
Taxa named by Benedykt Dybowski
Baikal yellowfin