Taxonomy
The Ozark sculpin was first formally described in 1985 by C. Richard Robins and Henry W. Robison with the type locality given as the Bennett Springs, 11 miles northwest of Lebanon, Missouri. This species is classified by some authorities in the subgenus Uranidea.
Additional field notes
Breeding color and feeding records add detail to the Ozark sculpin’s rocky-stream habitat.
Sources: Cottus hypselurus species summary
Breeding males and prey
Spawning males may develop blue on the chin and belly. FishBase notes that this trait is shared with other sculpins, including Cottus immaculatus and Cottus caeruleomentum, so a blue underside alone does not establish the species. Fin-ray counts and other diagnostic characters remain relevant.
Reported food includes crayfish, aquatic insect larvae, snails, and beetles. The account also records consumption of other Ozark sculpins. These records describe a broader animal diet than a single category such as “insects,” and should be read alongside the fish’s use of shallow rocky or gravelly current.
Sources: Cottus hypselurus species summary
Guide sources
Research reviewed 2026-10-19.
Article text: Wikipedia contributors, Ozark sculpin (source revision). Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
Diet and feeding
The FishTraits compilation records these diet categories for this species: invertebrates or larval fish; larger animal prey (a source category covering fish, crayfish, crabs, or frogs). These are broad categories, not a claim that every individual consumes every example in a category.
Reported feeding positions include bottom feeding. The compilation combines published observations; diets can vary with age, locality, and available food.
Habitat preferences
Reported habitat associations include medium to large rivers, streams and small rivers.
The source records associations with gravel, cobble, boulders, vegetation. An association indicates reported use, rather than an exclusive requirement.
Reproduction and parental care
The compilation reports a representative maturity age of 2 years. Its maturity field summarizes mean, median, or modal estimates, usually for females; male estimates can be used when female data are unavailable. It is not a fixed age at which every fish first breeds.
Recorded spawning months are Jan, Feb, Dec for the source’s reporting region (AR). This is a regional calendar, not a range-wide schedule.
The reproductive-guild classification includes guarding eggs or young at a spawning substrate or nest.
Size and recorded longevity
FishTraits reports a maximum total length of 14 centimetres. Some entries use an estimated asymptotic length; this value should not be treated as a certified record catch.
Recorded longevity in the compilation is 6 years. Wild observations were preferred, but captive records were accepted where wild records were unavailable, and unspecified records were assumed wild. The value is not a guaranteed wild lifespan or an aquarium life expectancy.
