The starry rockfish (''Sebastes constellatus''), also known as the spotted corsair, spotted rockfish, chinafish, and red rock cod, is a
species of marine
ray-finned fish 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 Pacific Ocean.
Taxonomy
The starry rockfish was first formally
described as ''Sebastichthys constellatus'' in 1880 by the American
ichthyologists David Starr Jordan
David Starr Jordan (January 19, 1851 – September 19, 1931) was the founding president of Stanford University, serving from 1891 to 1913. He was an ichthyologist during his research career. Prior to serving as president of Stanford Univer ...
and
Charles Henry Gilbert with the
type locality given as the coast of
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 ...
''Sebastomus''.
The specific name ''constellatus'' means "studded with stars” an allusion to the many star-shaped spots on the head and body.
Description
The starry rockfish has a robust, rhombus-shaped body which has a depth of just under a third 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.
It has 13-14 spines and 12-14 soft rays in its
dorsal fin while it’s anal fin has 3 spines and 5-7 soft rays. This species reaches a maximum
total length of and a maximum published weight of .
[ Starry rockfish are orange-red in color on the body and fins, darker on their backs with 5 or 6 large white blotches on its upper flanks and there are numerous small white spots over the upper body too. The head is rounded, more so than its congeners, and is marked with white blotches. Adults are darker than subadults and juveniles.][
]
Distribution and habitat
The starry rockfish is found in the Eastern Pacific Ocean off the west coast of North America. Here they are found from Humboldt County, California
Humboldt County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 136,463. The county seat is Eureka.
Humboldt County comprises the Eureka–Arcata–Fortuna, California Micropolitan Statistica ...
in the United States to Todos Santos, Baja California Sur in Mexico. They reach their greatest abundance along the stretch of coast between central California and central Baja California.[ and are only found over hard substrates, near large boulders or in crevices.]
Biology
Starry rockfish are viviparous and the larvae and juveniles are pelagic.[ The adults are sedentary and remain in the same area of seabed all their lives. They are predators which prey on fish, krill, octopus, and other marine invertebrates. Females can produce as many as 225,000 eggs in a year. This species may live for up to 32 years.][ These fishes are preyed on by other fishes, seabirds and marine mammals.][
]
Fisheries
Starry rockfish are not considered to be a target for recreational or commercial fisheries because of their small size, although they are frequently caught as bycatch in fisheries targeting other species.[
]
References
*This article was originally copied fro
California Marine Sportfish
by the California Department of Fish and Game, Marine Region;
public domain resource.
External links
EOL.orgitis.gov
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2351152
Sebastes
Taxa named by David Starr Jordan
Taxa named by Charles Henry Gilbert
Fish described in 1880