''Clinocottus'' is a genus of sculpins, nearshore benthic fishes native to the northeastern

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. They are mentioned as sharpnose sculpins. Molecular data indicate that this genus is

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of converg ...

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

, it does not constitute a natural assemblage within Cottidae.

Species

There are currently five recognized species in this genus: * ''

Clinocottus acuticeps ''Clinocottus acuticeps'', the sharpnose sculpin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This sculpin is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Clinocottus acuticeps'' was first for ...

'' ( C. H. Gilbert, 1896) (Sharpnose sculpin) * ''

Clinocottus analis The woolly sculpin (''Clinocottus analis'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean, where it occurs along the coastline of California and Baja Califo ...

'' ( Girard, 1858) (Woolly sculpin) * ''

Clinocottus embryum ''Clinocottus embryum'', the calico sculpin or mossy sculpin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Clinocottus embryum'' was first form ...

'' ( D. S. Jordan & Starks, 1895) (Calico sculpin) * ''

Clinocottus globiceps ''Clinocottus globiceps'', the mosshead sculpin or globe-headed sculpin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This sculpin is found in the northeastern Pacific. Taxonomy ''Clinocottus glo ...

'' ( Girard, 1858) (Mosshead sculpin) * ''

Clinocottus recalvus The bald sculpin (''Clinocottus recalvus'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy The bald sculpin was first formally described as ''Bl ...

'' ( Greeley, 1899) (Bald sculpin)

References

Cottinae {{Scorpaeniformes-stub