Rough Sculpin

Cottus asperrimus

Cottidae · freshwater water fish

2 minute read · Species guide

Rough Sculpin field guide illustration

About Rough Sculpin

The rough sculpin (Cottus asperrimus) is a species of fish in the family Cottidae. It is endemic to California in the United States. Its habitat includes spring-fed tributaries of the Pit River system in northeastern Shasta County, California, including the Fall River and its major tributary, the Tule River. It grows to 9.6 cm (3.8 in) total length.

Diet and feeding

The FishTraits compilation records these diet categories for this species: invertebrates or larval fish. 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 streams and small rivers, creeks.

The source records associations with sand, gravel, 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 Feb, Mar, Apr, May for the source’s reporting region (CA). 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 7 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 5 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.

Range

Where it lives

Share of 25 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 1 states.
0%
100%
Share of 25 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 1 states.

Share of records by state

Habitat

Water and movement

Water
WoRMS records this species in fresh water.
Migration
Not migratory

Classification

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Superclass
Actinopterygii
Class
Teleostei
Order
Scorpaeniformes
Family
Cottidae
Genus
Cottus
Species
Cottus asperrimus
ITIS TSN
167235
WoRMS AphiaID
1018198
GBIF key
2334152

Common questions about Rough Sculpin

What is the scientific name of Rough Sculpin?
The scientific name is Cottus asperrimus, in the family Cottidae. Classification follows ITIS.
Does Rough Sculpin live in fresh water or salt water?
WoRMS records this species in fresh water.
Where has Rough Sculpin been recorded in the United States?
GBIF has observations in 1 states, with the most records in California. The map shows observation records, which do not establish the complete natural range.

Closest relatives

Other Cottus species

Same family

More Cottidae

Banded Sculpin17 states
Cottus carolinaeCottidaeNativeFresh
Bear Lake Sculpin2 states
Cottus extensusCottidaeNativeFresh
Black Sculpin4 states
Cottus baileyiCottidaeNativeFresh
Coastrange Sculpin4 states
Cottus aleuticusCottidaeNativeFreshSaltBrackish
Deepwater Sculpin7 states
Myoxocephalus thompsoniiCottidaeNativeFresh
Fourhorn Sculpin4 states
Myoxocephalus quadricornisCottidaeNativeFreshSaltBrackish
Klamath Lake Sculpin1 states
Cottus princepsCottidaeNativeFresh
Marbled Sculpin2 states
Cottus klamathensisCottidaeNativeFresh
Margined Sculpin2 states
Cottus marginatusCottidaeNativeFresh
Mottled Sculpin33 states
Cottus bairdiiCottidaeNative and introducedFreshSalt
Ozark Sculpin4 states
Cottus hypselurusCottidaeNativeFresh
Pacific Staghorn Sculpin4 states
Leptocottus armatusCottidaeNativeSaltBrackish
Paiute Sculpin8 states
Cottus beldingiiCottidaeNativeFresh
Pit Sculpin2 states
Cottus pitensisCottidaeNativeFresh
Potomac Sculpin4 states
Cottus girardiCottidaeNativeFresh
Prickly Sculpin5 states
Cottus asperCottidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish
Reticulate Sculpin3 states
Cottus perplexusCottidaeNativeFresh
Riffle Sculpin4 states
Cottus gulosusCottidaeNativeFresh
Sharpnose Sculpin4 states
Clinocottus acuticepsCottidaeNativeFreshSaltBrackish
Shorthead Sculpin5 states
Cottus confususCottidaeNativeFresh
Shoshone Sculpin1 states
Cottus greeneiCottidaeNativeFresh
Slender Sculpin1 states
Cottus tenuisCottidaeNativeFresh
Slimy Sculpin23 states
Cottus cognatusCottidaeNativeFreshBrackish
Spoonhead Sculpin8 states
Cottus riceiCottidaeNativeFresh

All 28 species in Cottidae