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Home/Species/ Banded Sculpin

Cottus carolinae

(Gill, 1861)

Banded Sculpin

G5Secure Found in 9 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.819914
Element CodeAFC4E02070
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderPerciformes
FamilyCottidae
GenusCottus
Synonyms
Uranidea carolinae(Gill, 1861)
Concept Reference
Neely, D. A., J. D. Williams, and R. L. Mayden. 2007. Two new sculpins of the genus Cottus (Teleostei: Cottidae) from rivers of eastern North America. Copeia 2007(3):641-655.
Taxonomic Comments
Three subspecies (carolinae, infernatus, and zopherus) have been described; populations in the Mobile Bay basin are highly variable and in need of study; population in the Kanawha River system, West Virginia and Virginia, may warrant taxonomic recognition (Page and Burr 1991). Robins (2005) described Cottus kanawhae as a distinct species.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2011-11-09
Change Date1996-09-06
Edition Date2012-04-05
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Range Extent Comments
Range includes upland streams in the Mississippi River basin from the upper Tennessee River drainage, Virginia, across Kentucky, Tennessee, southern Indiana, and southern Illinois to Ozark drainages, southern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, northern Arkansas, and northeastern Oklahoma; south to northern Alabama; upland and lowland streams in Alabama River drainage, Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama (Page and Burr 2011, which see for subspecies ranges).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations).
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Habitat includes small to moderate-sized clear, cool to warm streams (Lee et al. 1980); gravel and rubble riffles of headwaters, creeks, and small rivers; also springs and their effluents; caves in some areas (Page and Burr 2011). This sculpin occurs probably only in spring-fed streams in Illinois (Smith 1979). Usually it is under rocks during daylight, on top of rocks at night in Tennessee (Greenberg and Holtzman 1987). Eggs are deposited possibly singly or are broadcast indiscriminately over gravel; no nests have been found.

Ecology

Home range in Tennessee was 47 sq m or less; mean density estimated at 0.4/sq m and 0.9/sq m using 2 methods (Greenberg and Holtzman 1987).

Reproduction

Spawns January-February at 9-13 C in south (Lee et al. 1980), probably March-April in Illinois (Smith 1979).
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
IndianaS4Yes
GeorgiaS4Yes
ArkansasS4Yes
MissouriSNRYes
OklahomaSNRYes
North CarolinaS1Yes
MississippiS3Yes
KansasS1Yes
TennesseeS5Yes
AlabamaS5Yes
IllinoisS2Yes
VirginiaS3Yes
KentuckyS4Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
No known threats———

—

Roadless Areas (9)
Arkansas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Clifty CanyonOzark-St. Francis National Forest1,963
Kentucky (1)
AreaForestAcres
WolfpenDaniel Boone National Forest2,835
Missouri (1)
AreaForestAcres
Spring Creek Rare II Study AreaMark Twain National Forest4,899
Tennessee (2)
AreaForestAcres
Devil's BackboneCherokee National Forest4,287
Sampson Mountain AdditionCherokee National Forest3,064
Virginia (3)
AreaForestAcres
New London Bridge BranchJefferson National Forest844
Peters Mountain Addition A (VA)Jefferson National Forest1,268
Seng MountainJefferson National Forest6,428
West Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Peters Mountain Addition A (WV)Jefferson National Forest343
References (33)
  1. Boschung, H. T., and R. L. Mayden. 2004. Fishes of Alabama. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 960 pp.
  2. Burr, B. M., and M. L. Warren, Jr. 1986a. Distributional atlas of Kentucky fishes. Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission, Scientific and Technical Series No. 4, Frankfort, Kentucky. 398 pp.
  3. Burr, Brooks M. (Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University) and Donovan B. Henry. 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. June 2000.
  4. Cross, F. B., and J. T. Collins. 1995. Fishes in Kansas. Second Edition, revised. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History. xvii + 315 pp.
  5. Elliott, W. R. 2003. A guide to Missouri's cave life: 70 species brought to life. Missouri Department of Conservation. 37 pp.
  6. Etnier, D. A., and W. C. Starnes. 1993. The fishes of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee. xiv + 681 pp.
  7. Greenberg, L. A., and D. A. Holtzman. 1987. Microhabitat utilization, feeding periodicity, home range and population size of the banded sculpin, <i>Cottus carolinae</i>. Copeia 1987: 19-25.
  8. Hrabik, Robert A. (Missouri Department of Conservation). 1997. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Ruth Mathews, TNC. May 1997.
  9. Jenkins, R. E., and N. M. Burkhead. 1994. Freshwater fishes of Virginia. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland. xxiii + 1079 pp.
  10. Koster, W. J. 1936. The life history and ecology of the sculpins (Cottidae) in central New York. Ph.D. thesis, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
  11. Koster, W. J. 1937. The food of the sculpin (Cottidae) in central New York. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 66:374-382.
  12. Lang, Nicholas (Illinois Natural History Survey). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. March 2000.
  13. Lee, D. S., C. R. Gilbert, C. H. Hocutt, R. E. Jenkins, D. E. McAllister, and J. R. Stauffer, Jr. 1980. Atlas of North American freshwater fishes. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh, North Carolina. i-x + 854 pp.
  14. Matthews, William J. (Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, University of Oklahoma). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. June 2000.
  15. Menhinick, E. F. 1991. The freshwater fishes of North Carolina. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. 227 pp.
  16. Mettee, M. F., P. E. O'Neil, and J. M. Pierson. 1996. Fishes of Alabama and the Mobile Basin. Oxmoor House, Birmingham, Alabama. 820 pp.
  17. Neely, D. A., J. D. Williams, and R. L. Mayden. 2007. Two new sculpins of the genus <i>Cottus </i>(Teleostei: Cottidae) from rivers of eastern North America. Copeia 2007(3):641-655.
  18. Nelson, J. S. 1984. Fishes of the world. Second edition. John Wiley & Sons, New York. xv + 523 pp.
  19. Nelson, J. S., E. J. Crossman, H. Espinosa-Perez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, and J. D. Williams. 2004. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 29, Bethesda, Maryland. 386 pp.
  20. Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes: North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 432 pp.
  21. Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 2011. Peterson field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston. xix + 663 pp.
  22. Page, L. M., H. Espinosa-Pérez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, R. L. Mayden, and J. S. Nelson. 2013. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Seventh edition. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 34, Bethesda, Maryland.
  23. Page, L. M., K. E. Bemis, T. E. Dowling, H.S. Espinosa-Pérez, L.T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, K. E. Hartel, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, M. A. Neigbors, J. J. Schmitter-Soto, and H. J. Walker, Jr. 2023. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Eighth edition. American Fisheries Society (AFS), Special Publication 37, Bethesda, Maryland, 439 pp.
  24. Pflieger, W. L. 1975. The fishes of Missouri. Missouri Department of Conservation. Columbia, Missouri. viii + 343 pp.
  25. Robins, C. R. 2005. <i>Cottus kanawhae</i>, a new cottid fish from the New River system of Virginia and West Virginia. Zootaxa 987:1-6
  26. Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.
  27. Robison, H. W. and T. M. Buchanan. 1988. Fishes of Arkansas. The University of Arkansas Press, Fayetteville, Arkansas. 536 pp.
  28. Robison, H.W. and T.M. Buchanan. 2020. Fishes of Arkansas. University of Arkansas Press, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA, 959 pp.
  29. Ross, S. T., and W. M. Brenneman. 1991. Distribution of freshwater fishes in Mississippi. Freshwater Fisheries Report No. 108. D-J Project Completion Report F-69. Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries and Parks. Jackson, Mississippi. 548 pp.
  30. Ross, Stephen T. (University of Southern Mississippi, Department of Biological Sciences). 2001. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI.
  31. Skelton, Christopher E. (Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Natural Heritage Program). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, TNC. March 2000.
  32. Smith, P. W. 1979. The fishes of Illinois. University of Illinois Press, Urbana. 314 pp.
  33. Stauffer, J. R., Jr., J. M. Boltz, and L. R. White. 1995. The fishes of West Virginia. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 146:1-389.