Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Prickly Sculpin

Cottus asper

Richardson, 1836

Prickly Sculpin

G5Secure Found in 7 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104049
Element CodeAFC4E02020
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
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.
Taxonomic Comments
Early nomenclatural history confusing. Two forms, a sparsely prickled coastal form and heavily prickled inland form, have been recognized and may be genetically distinct (Lee et al. 1980). Formerly included in the order Perciformes; the 1991 AFS checklist (Robins et al. 1991) followed Nelson (1984) in recognizing the order Scorpaeniformes as distinct from the Perciformes.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2015-09-22
Change Date1996-09-25
Edition Date2012-04-04
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Range Extent Comments
Range encompasses Pacific Slope drainages of North America from Ventura River, California, to the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska; east of the Continental Divide, this sculpin occurs in the upper Peace River (Arctic basin), British Columbia; it occurs on Queen Charlotte and Vancouver islands (Lee et al. 1980, Page and Burr 2011).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations).
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known. Locally, some populations likely have been eliminated or reduced as a result of barriers constructed across streams (Moyle 2002).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Habitat includes coastal and inland streams and sandy and rocky shores of lakes. Typically this sculpin inhabits pools and waters of slight current in small to medium rivers and is often on bottoms of fine materials, predominantly sand (Lee et al. 1980). It also occurs in tidewater areas; it can tolerate brackish water (tidepools, estuaries). Spawning occurs in freshwater or intertidal zones that contain flat rocks and moderate current. Males prepare nests under rocks, logs, cans, car bodies, or other debris. Larvae are pelagic for 30-35 days.

Ecology

Abundant where found (Moyle 1976).

Reproduction

Matures in 2nd-4th year. Spawning may occur late February-June; most spawning in California probably occurs March-April. Female deposits 280- 11,000 eggs depending on her size and age (Moyle 1976). Male may spawn with more than one female.
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
AlbertaSUYes
British ColumbiaS5Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
WashingtonS5Yes
CaliforniaSNRYes
AlaskaS5Yes
OregonS4Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
7 - Natural system modificationsRestricted - smallExtreme - moderateHigh (continuing)
7.2 - Dams & water management/useRestricted - smallExtreme - moderateHigh (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (7)
California (5)
AreaForestAcres
CajonSan Bernardino National Forest7,548
City CreekSan Bernardino National Forest9,997
Deep CreekSan Bernardino National Forest23,869
Salt CreekAngeles National Forest11,022
Sespe - FrazierAngeles National Forest4,254
Oregon (1)
AreaForestAcres
WoahinkSiuslaw National Forest5,309
Washington (1)
AreaForestAcres
South QuinaultOlympic National Forest11,081
References (21)
  1. 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.
  2. Brown, Larry (U.S. Geological Survey, WRD). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, TNC. June 2000.
  3. 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
  4. Koster, W. J. 1937. The food of the sculpin (Cottidae) in central New York. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 66:374-382.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. Mongillo, Paul E. (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Fish Management Program). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. March 2000.
  9. Morrow, J.E. 1980. The freshwater fishes of Alaska. Alaska Northwest Publishing Company, Anchorage, AK. 248 pp.
  10. Moyle, P. B. 1976a. Inland fishes of California. University of California Press, Berkeley, California. 405 pp.
  11. Moyle, P. B. 2002. Inland fishes of California. Revised and expanded. University of California Press, Berkeley. xv + 502 pp.
  12. Moyle, Peter B. (Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, UC-Davis). 2000. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, TNC. April 2000.
  13. Nelson, J. S. 1984. Fishes of the world. Second edition. John Wiley & Sons, New York. xv + 523 pp.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. 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.
  20. Scott, W. B., and E. J. Crossman. 1973. Freshwater fishes of Canada. Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Bulletin 184. 966 pp.
  21. Wydoski, R. S., and R. R. Whitney. 1979. Inland fishes of Washington. The University of Washington Press, Seattle. 220 pp.