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Cottus beldingii

Eigenmann and Eigenmann, 1891

Paiute Sculpin

G5Secure Found in 9 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101884
Element CodeAFC4E02060
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderPerciformes
FamilyCottidae
GenusCottus
Synonyms
Cottus beldingiEigenmann and Eigenmann, 1891
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.
Taxonomic Comments
This is a broad concept of Cottus beldingii that includes Cottus annae and C. tubulatus. Both were synonymized with C. beldingii without comment by Bailey and Bond (1963). Young et al. (2022) treat C. tubulatus as a distinct species and C. annae as provisionally distinct. The relationships among North American sculpins remain poorly known and Page et al. (2023) chose to retain a conservative approach because recent studies (e.g., Baumsteiger et al. 2012; Goto et al. 2015; Young et al. 2022) lack comprehensive species descriptions and sometimes descriptions conflict. .
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2011-11-08
Change Date1996-09-06
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 to >300
Range Extent Comments
Range includes the Columbia River drainage from Idaho, western Wyoming, and northeastern Nevada to western Washington and Oregon; endorheic basins, including Lake Tahoe (California and Nevada; abundant), Humboldt River (Nevada), and Bear River (Utah) (Page and Burr 2011). This species may occur in the upper Colorado River drainage, Colorado (Woodling 1985).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations).
Threat Impact Comments
Water diversions and habitat degradation caused by grazing, logging, and urbanization have eliminated or reduced populations in many areas (Moyle 2002).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This sculpin typically is found in rubble or gravel riffle areas in clear, cold creeks and small to medium rivers that have a slight to moderate gradient, also in lakes in areas with a rubble or gravel substrate or in aquatic beds in deep water (Moyle 1976). Often it spawns near rocks located on gravel substrate. In streams, it usually spawns in riffles. In Lake Tahoe, spawning occurs in wave-swept littoral locations or near mouths of streams; it may also occur in deeper water (Moyle 1976).

In the Salt River watershed, Wyoming-Idaho, allopatric Paiute sculpins (i.e., not sympatric with mottled sculpins) were found in small, high-elevation streams with low summer water temperatures, high channel slopes, large rocky substrates, and low densities of brown trout (Quist et al. 2004).

Ecology

In streams and lakes competition for food between sculpins and trout is minimal to insignificant (Moyle 1976). No evidence of territoriality or schooling behavior.

Reproduction

Most spawning occurs in May and June in Lake Tahoe. Typically the nest of 100-200 eggs is guarded by the male (Moyle 1976). Females apparently spawn once annually. Sexually mature usually at 2 years (Sigler and Sigler 1987), may live up to 5 years.
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
CaliforniaSNRYes
WashingtonS3Yes
WyomingS5Yes
IdahoS5Yes
NevadaS4Yes
ColoradoSUYes
OregonS3Yes
UtahS3Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
2 - Agriculture & aquaculture———
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranching———
7 - Natural system modificationsLarge - restrictedExtreme - moderateHigh (continuing)
7.2 - Dams & water management/useLarge - restrictedExtreme - moderateHigh (continuing)
9 - PollutionLarge - restrictedExtreme - moderateHigh (continuing)
9.3 - Agricultural & forestry effluentsLarge - restrictedExtreme - moderateHigh (continuing)

—

Roadless Areas (9)
California (3)
AreaForestAcres
Castle PeakTahoe National Forest14,974
Hoover - NorthHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest1,574
Iceberg - Mill CreekHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest26,988
Nevada (2)
AreaForestAcres
Elephant ButtesHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest6,338
McaffieHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest26,110
Utah (1)
AreaForestAcres
Stump CreekCaribou National Forest355
Wyoming (3)
AreaForestAcres
Grayback RidgeBridger-Teton National Forest295,113
Salt River RangeBridger-Teton National Forest235,661
Teton Corridor TrailheadsBridger-Teton National Forest286
References (27)
  1. Bailey, R.M., and C.E. Bond. 1963. Four new species of freshwater sculpins, genus <i>Cottus</i> from western North America. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology at the University of Michigan 634:1-27
  2. Baumsteiger, J., A. P. Kinziger, and A. Aguilar. 2012. Life history and biogeographic diversification of an endemic western North American freshwater fish clade using a comparative species tree approach. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 65:940-952.
  3. Baxter, G. T., and J. R. Simon. 1970. Wyoming fishes. Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Cheyenne, Wyoming, 168 pp.
  4. Bentivoglio, Antonio (Fisheries Biologist, USFWS). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps for <i>Cottus beldingi</i>i, <i>C. asper</i> and <i>C. aleuticus</i>. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. March 2000.
  5. Gipson, Rob. Jackson Regional Fisheries Supervisor, Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Personal communication, 2002.
  6. Goto, A., R. Yokoyama, and V.G. Sideleva. 2015. Evolutionary diversification in freshwater sculpins (Cottoidea): a review of two major adaptive radiations. Environmental Biology of Fishes 98:307-335.
  7. 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
  8. Koster, W. J. 1937. The food of the sculpin (Cottidae) in central New York. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 66:374-382.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. Moyle, P. B. 1976a. Inland fishes of California. University of California Press, Berkeley, California. 405 pp.
  13. Moyle, P. B. 2002. Inland fishes of California. Revised and expanded. University of California Press, Berkeley. xv + 502 pp.
  14. Nelson, J. S. 1984. Fishes of the world. Second edition. John Wiley & Sons, New York. xv + 523 pp.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. 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.
  20. Quist, M. C., W. A. Hubert, and D. J. Isaak. 2004. Factors affecting allopatric and sympatric occurrence of two sculpin species across a Rocky Mountain watershed. Copeia 2004:617-623.
  21. Remmick, Ron (Regional Fisheries Supervisor, Wyoming Game and Fish Department). 2001. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Pilar Hernandez, NatureServe. December, 2001.
  22. 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.
  23. Sigler, W. F., and J. W. Sigler. 1987. Fishes of the Great Basin: a natural history. University of Nevada Press, Reno, Nevada. xvi + 425 pp.
  24. Simpson, J. and R. Wallace. 1982. Fishes of Idaho. The University Press of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho. 238 pp.
  25. Woodling, J. 1985. Colorado's little fish: a guide to the minnows and other lesser known fishes in the state of Colorado. Colorado Division of Wildlife, Denver. 77 pp.
  26. Wydoski, R. S., and R. R. Whitney. 1979. Inland fishes of Washington. The University of Washington Press, Seattle. 220 pp.
  27. Young, M.K., R. Smith, K.L. Pilgrim, D.J. Isaak, K.S. McKelvey, S. Parkes, J. Egge, and M.K. Schwartz. 2022. A molecular taxonomy of <i>Cottus</i> in western North America. Western North American Naturalist 82(2): 307–345.