''Enophrys bison'', the buffalo 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

The buffalo sculpin was first formally described as ''Aspicottus bison'' in 1854 by the French zoologist Charles Frédéric Girard with its type locality given as San Francisco. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

bison is presumed to refer to the long preopercular spines, similar to the horns of an American bison (''Bison bison'').

Description

The buffalo sculpin has a dorsal fins which are supported by between 7 and 9 spines and between 10 and 13 soft rays while the

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

has 8 or 9 soft rays. The

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 small and the caudal fin is rounded. This species reaches a maximum published total length of . This species is well-camouflaged and has a mottled pattern, which varies from pink and green to brown in colour, and there are dark saddle patches along the back. There is a long, straight preopercular spine projecting from each cheek. The

lateral line The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelial ...

is made up of prominent raised plates. The snout is short and blunt.

Distribution and habitat

This fish species occurs in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, from Kodiak Island, Alaska, to Monterey Bay, California, USA. They are typically found in rocky or sandy reef environments, where they can camouflage themselves in rocks and seaweed. These fish commonly inhabit a depths down to , though the deepest recorded depth is at .

Biology

Buffalo Sculpin are predators and prey on a variety of animals including young fishes, mussels, isopods, amphipods, and crabs. Algae are frequently recorded among its gut contents, but it is not clear that this is consumed deliberately or by accident when the fish grabs prey. It is an

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

fish in which there is paternal care. They spawn in the late winter through to early spring, the female laying her eggs on rocks or on artificial structures in the lower part of the intertidal zone down as far as in depth. The eggs are laid in batches of 19,000 – 32,000 in exposed places, subject to the current. A number of females frequently spawn with a single male which then guards the eggs and fans them with his pectoral fins. The larvae emerge after 5 or 6 weeks. The

spinynose sculpin The spinynose sculpin (''Asemichthys taylori'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the Family (biology), family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean from Alaska south to Washington (state) ...

(''Asemichthys taylori'') lays its eggs on the egg masses of this species, thought to be a strategy to take advantage of the buffalo sculpin's egg guarding behaviour.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2188323

bison Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North Ame ...

Taxa named by Charles Frédéric Girard Fish described in 1854