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Cottus pitensis

Bailey and Bond, 1963

Pit Sculpin

G4Apparently Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104380
Element CodeAFC4E02190
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderPerciformes
FamilyCottidae
GenusCottus
Concept Reference
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.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2023-07-19
Change Date1996-09-06
Edition Date2023-07-19
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G. (2011); rev. R. L. Gundy (2023)
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 80
Rank Reasons
Pit sculpin is restricted to a single watershed, is relatively common, has a stable population, and is not subject to any major threats.
Range Extent Comments
This species is endemic to the Pit River system in northern California and southern Oregon, USA (Moyle and Campbell 2022). Oregon populations are found in tributaries to Goose Lake (which spans the Oregon-California border), including Drews, Cottonwood, and Thomas creeks in Lake County, Oregon (Moyle and Campbell 2022). In California, this species is found in tributaries to Goose Lake (Lassen and Willow Creeks) and in streams throughout the Pit River watershed (Modoc and Shasta counties) southwest to Shasta Reservoir (Moyle and Campbell 2022).

Baumsteiger et al. (2014) considered sculpins in the Sacramento River to be C. pitensis rather than the long-held identification as riffle sculpins (Cottus gulosus). Moyle and Campbell (2022) re-assigned the Sacramento River population as a new subspecies of riffle sculpin, the Sacramento riffle sculpin (Cottus gulosus wintu).
Occurrences Comments
This species is known from at least a few dozen collection sites that are well distributed throughout the historical range (Baumsteiger et al. 2014, Lee et al. 1980, Moyle and Campbell 2022).
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known. In the Pit River watershed, Pit sculpins have adjusted to degraded habitats in some cases (Moyle 2002).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species occupies fast-flowing rocky riffles of cool, well-shaded, small streams, spring-fed creeks, and small boulder-strewn rivers (Moyle 2002).
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
OregonS1Yes
CaliforniaSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
No known threats———

—

Roadless Areas (1)
Oregon (1)
AreaForestAcres
Coleman RimFremont National Forest10,638
References (15)
  1. 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
  2. Koster, W. J. 1937. The food of the sculpin (Cottidae) in central New York. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 66:374-382.
  3. 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.
  4. Master, L. L. 1996. Synoptic national assessment of comparative risks to biological diversity and landscape types: species distributions. Summary Progress Report submitted to Environmental Protection Agency. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, Virginia. 60 pp.
  5. Master, L. L. and A. L. Stock. 1998. Synoptic national assessment of comparative risks to biological diversity and landscape types: species distributions. Summary Report submitted to Environmental Protection Agency. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA. 36 pp.
  6. Moyle, P. B. 1976a. Inland fishes of California. University of California Press, Berkeley, California. 405 pp.
  7. Moyle, P. B. 2002. Inland fishes of California. Revised and expanded. University of California Press, Berkeley. xv + 502 pp.
  8. Moyle, Peter B. (Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, UC-Davis). 2000. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, TNC. April 2000.
  9. Nelson, J. S. 1984. Fishes of the world. Second edition. John Wiley & Sons, New York. xv + 523 pp.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.