Myoxocephalus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. The name was first proposed as a monospecific genus in 1811 by Tilesius, who described Myoxocephalus stelleri from Kamchatka.
Taxonomy
The genus is classified within the subfamily Cottinae of the family Cottidae according to the 5th edition of Fishes of the World. However, some authorities place it in the subfamily Myoxocephalinae of the family Psychrolutidae, while others retain Myoxocephalinae within the Cottidae. The type species is Myoxocephalus stelleri.
Species
There are currently 14 recognized extant species in the genus:
- Myoxocephalus aenaeus (Mitchill, 1814) – Grubby
- Myoxocephalus brandtii (Steindachner, 1867)
- Myoxocephalus jaok (G. Cuvier, 1829) – Plain sculpin
- Myoxocephalus niger (T. H. Bean, 1881) – Warthead sculpin
- Myoxocephalus ochotensis (P. J. Schmidt, 1929)
- Myoxocephalus octodecemspinosus (Mitchill, 1815) – Longhorn sculpin
- Myoxocephalus polyacanthocephalus (Pallas, 1814) – Great sculpin
- Myoxocephalus quadricornis (Linnaeus, 1758) – Fourhorn sculpin
- Myoxocephalus scorpioides (O. Fabricius, 1780) – Arctic sculpin
- Myoxocephalus scorpius (Linnaeus, 1758) – Shorthorn sculpin
- Myoxocephalus sinensis (Sauvage, 1873)
- Myoxocephalus stelleri (Tilesius, 1811) – Steller's sculpin
- Myoxocephalus thompsonii (Girard, 1851) – Deepwater sculpin
- Myoxocephalus tuberculatus (Soldatov & Pavlenko, 1922)
Fossil species are also known, including † Myoxocephalus antiquus and † Myoxocephalus idahoensis from the Pliocene Glenns Ferry Formation of Idaho, and † Myoxocephalus primas from the Early Oligocene of Belgium and Germany. Indeterminate remains have been found in the Middle Miocene Kurasi Formation of Sakhalin, Russia. The temporal range extends from the Middle Miocene to the present, with a possible Early Oligocene record.
Characteristics
Myoxocephalus sculpins have no scales above the lateral line, and the body may be naked or possess bony plates, scutes, or small spines. The head is large and deep, covered in thick skin, with thin sensory canals. The upper spine on the preoperculum is elongated with a wide base and points diagonally upward. The upper jaw projects beyond the lower jaw. Vomerine teeth are present, but palatine teeth are absent. The spiny dorsal fin is slightly larger than or similar in size to the soft-rayed dorsal fin, and the two are connected. The largest species is the great sculpin (M. polyacanthocephalus), reaching a maximum total length of 80 cm (31 in), while the smallest is the grubby (M. aenaeus), reaching 18 cm (7.1 in).
Distribution and habitat
These sculpins are found in the northern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and the Arctic Ocean. Some populations have become landlocked in lakes. They inhabit coastal waters and the continental shelf, with many species tolerating low salinities. They are found over sand, mud, or rocky substrates.
Biology
Myoxocephalus sculpins are predators that feed on fishes and benthic invertebrates. They spawn in winter and spring, laying demersal eggs that are guarded by the males.
Genetic research
A 2020 study comparing the mitochondrial DNA of the fourhorn sculpin (M. quadricornis) and the belligerent sculpin (Megalocottus platycephalus) found that the fourhorn sculpin was more closely related to the belligerent sculpin than to other species in Myoxocephalus, leading to a proposal that the fourhorn sculpin be reclassified into the genus Megalocottus.
