The saddleback gunnel (''Pholis ornata''), also known as the saddled blenny, is a species of marine
ray-finned fish belonging to the
family Pholidae
''Pholidae'' is a family of marine ray-finned fishes, known as gunnels, in the scorpaeniform suborder Zoarcoidei. These are fishes of the littoral zone and are mainly found in North Pacific Ocean, with two species found in the North Atlantic Ocea ...
, the gunnels. This fish occurs in the shallow coastal waters of the eastern North Pacific Ocean.
Taxonomy
The saddleback gunnel was first formally
described as ''Gunnellus ornatus'' in 1854 by the French
biologist
A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual cell, a multicellular organism, or a community of interacting populations. They usually specialize in ...
Charles Frédéric Girard with the
type locality given as
Presidio,
San Francisco, California.
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 ...
''ornata'' means "decorated" or "adorned", assumed to be an allusion to the 12-13 blackish-brown saddle markings on back, as well as the light and dark streaks which radiate outwards from the eyes.
Description
The saddleback gunnel has between 74 and 79 spines in its
dorsal fin and 2 spines and 35 to 38 soft rays in its
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 ...
. The
caudal fin is rounded and it has tiny
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 ...
. The maximim published
total length is .
There are 12 or 13 blackish-brown saddle markings along the back and light and dark streaks which radiate outwards from the eyes.
[
]
Distribution and habitat
The saddleback gunnel ranges from Vancouver Island in the north to Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Barbara County, California, officially the County of Santa Barbara, is located in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 448,229. The county seat is Santa Barbara, and the largest city is Santa Maria.
Santa Barba ...
in the south. It is found at depths of along the coast and in estuaries where it is found on muddy substrates among seaweed
Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of '' Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...
s and seagrass.
Biology
Saddleback gunnels on small crustaceans and molluscs. After spawning both the males and females guard the egg mass.[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q589028
Saddleback gunnel
Taxa named by Charles Frédéric Girard
Fish described in 1854