''Sebastes dallii'' , the calico rockfish, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or hor ...

belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family

Scorpaenidae The Scorpaenidae (also known as scorpionfish) are a family of mostly marine fish that includes many of the world's most venomous species. As their name suggests, scorpionfish have a type of "sting" in the form of sharp spines coated with venom ...

. It is found in the eastern central Pacific Ocean.

Taxonomy

''Sebastes dallii'' was first formally described as ''Pteropodus dallii'' in 1894 by the American

ichthyologist Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish ( Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of Octobe ...

Carl H. Eigenmann Carl Henry Eigenmann (March 9, 1863 – April 24, 1927) was a German-American ichthyologist of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, who, along with his wife Rosa Smith Eigenmann, and his zoology students is credited with identifyin ...

and the clacissicist Charles H. Beeson with the type locality given as San Francisco, California. Some authorities place this species in the

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...

''Auctospina''. The specific name honours the malacologist and explorer William Healey Dall of the Smithsonian Institution.

Description

''Sebastes dallii'' has a body which is oval, elongated, and rather broad. The depth of the body is 32% to 36% of its

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish m ...

. The body is covered in scales. The head has a sharp snout, large eyes and a large, terminally positioned large mouth. There are 12-14 spines and 12-14 soft rays in the dorsal fin while the anal fin has 3 spines and 6-7 soft rays.The overall colour is greenish-yellow with diagonal reddish-brown bars on the flanks. In living fish there is mottled brown spotting which rapidly fades after death. The caudal fin rays are dark brown. The anal and

pelvic fin Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral surface of fish. The paired pelvic fins are homologous to the hindlimbs of tetrapods. Structure and function Structure In actinopterygians, the pelvic fin consists of two en ...

s are transparent, tinged with red, and the caudal and dorsal fins are dark while the pectoral fins are orange and red.

Distribution and habitat

''Sebastes dallii'' Is found in the central eastern Pacific along the west coast of North America between San Francisco, California to

Punta Rompiente Punta is an Afro-indigenous dance and cultural music originating in the Caribbean Island of Saint Vincent And The Grenadines by the Garifuna people before being exiled from the island. Which is also known as Yurumei. It has African and Arawak ...

Baja California Sur Baja California Sur (; 'South Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California Sur ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California Sur), is the least populated state and the 31st admitted state of the 32 federal ent ...

. The calico rockfish is a

demersal fish Demersal fish, also known as groundfish, live and feed on or near the bottom of seas or lakes (the demersal zone).Walrond Carl . "Coastal fish - Fish of the open sea floor"Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Updated 2 March 2009 They occ ...

which is found at depths Between in area where rocky substrates mix with softer substrates where there is fine sediment as well as structured habitats such as natural and man-made reefs.

Biology

''Sebastes dalli'' is ovoviviparous, fertilisation is internal and the larvae remain within the female and receive nutrients from her before she gives birth to them. Females are sexually mature at 9 years old and for males at 7 years old. The breeding season runs from January to May, peaking in February. A female can give birth to between 3,900 and 18,000 larvae in a season. The larvae are planktonic while the juveniles are pelagic. This is a carnivorous species which preys on crustaceans, cephalopods, bivalves and smaller fishes. These fishes live for up to 12 years. They are preyed on by larger fishes, seals and seabirds.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q6428672 dallii Taxa named by Carl H. Eigenmann Fish described in 1894