|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
sculpin
sculpin common name for a member of the large family Cottidae, bizarre fishes with large, spiny or armored heads and short, tapering bodies, found in both marine and freshwater habitats. The family includes the muddlers and some species called bullheads. Sculpins are cosmopolitan in arctic and northern waters. They feed at the bottom on crabs and small fishes. Of little food value, they are occasionally used as bait. The longhorned sculpin (1 ft/30 cm) and the shorthorned sculpin have sharp spines on the head. Sculpins have no scales, but are variously adorned with prickles on the head and fins. The sea raven has large teeth and a prickly skin and swells when caught. The cabezon of the Pacific reaches a weight of 25 lb (11.3 kg). The muddlers are a widespread freshwater group found in northeastern and Mississippi basin streams with gravel bottoms. They have huge pectoral fins shaped like butterfly wings with which they hang onto stones. The grotesque sea robins and flying gurnards, with fins modified into "wings" and "talons" for creeping on the ocean floor, resemble the sculpins but are of a different family. Sculpins are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Osteichthyes, order Perciformes, family Cottidae. |
|
|
Cite this article
"sculpin." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "sculpin." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-sculpin.html "sculpin." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-sculpin.html |
|
Cottidae
Cottidae (sculpin, father lasher; subclass Actinopterygii, order Scorpaeniformes) A very large family of marine and freshwater fish, all of which have a bony support beneath the eye, and the eyes placed high on the head. There is a deep notch between the two dorsal fins, and the large pectorals are wing-like. Most sculpins are found in inshore situations; some species (e.g. Gymnocanthus tricuspis, staghorn sculpin) live in cold polar waters. Myoxocephalus scorpius (father lasher), of the N. Atlantic, is a voracious predator but is used as a source of bait and fishmeal. There are about 300 species, widespread in non-tropical regions. See also PSYCHROLUTIDAE.
|
|
|
Cite this article
MICHAEL ALLABY. "Cottidae." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "Cottidae." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Cottidae.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "Cottidae." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Cottidae.html |
|
sculpin
scul·pin / ˈskəlpən/ • n. a chiefly marine fish (Cottidae and related families) of the northern hemisphere, with a broad flattened head and spiny scales and fins. Many genera and numerous species include the bullheads. |
|
|
Cite this article
"sculpin." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "sculpin." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-sculpin.html "sculpin." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-sculpin.html |
|
sculpin
sculpin any of several spiny fishes. XVII. perh. alt. of scorpene — L. scorpæna — Gr. skórpaina, presumably f. skorpios SCORPION.
|
|
|
Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "sculpin." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "sculpin." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-sculpin.html T. F. HOAD. "sculpin." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-sculpin.html |
|
sculpin
|
|
|
Cite this article
MICHAEL ALLABY. "sculpin." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "sculpin." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-sculpin.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "sculpin." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-sculpin.html |
|
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
