View allAll Photos Tagged flathead
we went ALL the way around this lake.
"...almost thirty miles long and fifteen miles across at it's widest point, Flathead lake is the largest natural lake in western U.S. A 160 mile shoreline and water covers nearly two-hundred square miles of Montana - and at 300 feet deep..."
Half buried in the sand at Corrigan's Cove Beach, near Bateman's Bay, this skeleton of a flathead must have been there for a while!
TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Order: Scorpaeniformes (Scorpionfishes and flatheads)
Family: Cyclopteridae (Lumpfishes)
Genus/species: Eumicrotremus orbis
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: The globular shaped body is covered in cone-shaped plates, called tubercles. Females are dull green in color, while males are dull orange to reddish brown.
Typically measures 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.6 cm) in length, with a maximum known length of around 7 inches.
The pacific spiny lumpsucker's anal fin has evolved into a large suction cup, allowing it to attach to surfaces. They are most commonly found attached to solid objects and are ineffective swimmers
DISTRIBUTION: North Pacific: From Japan to Alaska south to Puget Sound, Washington.
Habitats, include eelgrass beds, rocky reefs, kelp patches, shallow bays, and docks. They can be found in near shore waters to a depth of 500 feet (150 m).
DIET: Crustaceans and mollusks.
REPRODUCTION: Males guard eggs following spawning.
CONSERVATION IUCN NOT EVALUATED
REMARKS: The large adhesive sucking disc with thickened fringed margin is composed of modified and ossified pelvic rays. When disturbed, the fish hovers about, changing directions aimlessly like a tiny helicopter.
The family name Cyclopteridae translates from Greek as “circle wing,” a reference to their circle-shaped pectoral fins. Their roe is used as a substitute for expensive and/or unavailable caviar.
References
California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium, locomotion 2018
Ron's flickr site www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/sets/72157608359804936/
Ron's Wordpress short link wp.me/p1DZ4b-kw
fishbase www.fishbase.de/summary/Eumicrotremus-orbis
Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H. Hammann, 1983. A field guide to Pacific coast fishes of North America. Boston (MA, USA): Houghton Mifflin Company. xii+336 p. (Ref. 2850)
(formerly on Academy staff)
12-30-14, 5-20-15, 12-06-18