Malacocottus aleuticus (Smith, 1904)
Whitetail sculpin
Malacocottus aleuticus
photo by Bull. U.S. Bur. Fish.

Family:  Psychrolutidae (Fatheads)
Max. size:  9.8 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  benthopelagic; marine; depth range 300 - 1000 m
Distribution:  North Pacific: off southeastern Kamchatka and Sea of Okhotsk off southwest coast of Kamchatka, eastern Sakhalin Island, and Hokkaido, Japan. Also from the Bering Sea north of Rat Islands and Prince William Sound, Alaska.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 7-10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13-15; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 10-13; Vertebrae: 31-32. Body minutely speckled with black; broad black bands from soft dorsal fin to anal fin and behind pectoral axil; caudal peduncle and fin white (Ref. 43939). Pelvic fins very small; caudal fin rounded (Ref. 43939).
Biology:  Collected from sand and broken shell bottom; also caught in pelagic environment (Ref. 43939).
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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