Wood River Sculpin

Cottus leiopomus

Cottidae · freshwater water fish

2 minute read · Species guide

Wood River Sculpin field guide illustration

About Wood River Sculpin

The Wood River sculpin (Cottus leiopomus) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is endemic to the Big Wood and Little Wood rivers and their tributaries upstream of Magic Reservoir in Blaine County, Idaho in the United States. Its habitat is similar to other sculpins: small to medium-sized streams that are cool and have swift currents. It is a species of concern because of its restricted distribution.

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); fish or frog eggs. 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 gravel, cobble. An association indicates reported use, rather than an exclusive requirement.

Reproduction and parental care

The compilation reports a representative maturity age of 2.5 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 May, Jun for the source’s reporting region (ID). 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 11 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 43 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 2 states.
0%
97.7%
Share of 43 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 2 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 leiopomus
ITIS TSN
167246
WoRMS AphiaID
1019367
GBIF key
2334122

Common questions about Wood River Sculpin

What is the scientific name of Wood River Sculpin?
The scientific name is Cottus leiopomus, in the family Cottidae. Classification follows ITIS.
Does Wood River Sculpin live in fresh water or salt water?
WoRMS records this species in fresh water.
Where has Wood River Sculpin been recorded in the United States?
GBIF has observations in 2 states, with the most records in Idaho, North Carolina. The map shows observation records, which do not establish the complete natural range.

Closest relatives

Other Cottus species

Same family

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Marbled Sculpin2 states
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Margined Sculpin2 states
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Mottled Sculpin33 states
Cottus bairdiiCottidaeNative and introducedFreshSalt
Ozark Sculpin4 states
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Pacific Staghorn Sculpin4 states
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Cottus beldingiiCottidaeNativeFresh
Pit Sculpin2 states
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Potomac Sculpin4 states
Cottus girardiCottidaeNativeFresh
Prickly Sculpin5 states
Cottus asperCottidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish
Reticulate Sculpin3 states
Cottus perplexusCottidaeNativeFresh
Riffle Sculpin4 states
Cottus gulosusCottidaeNativeFresh
Rough Sculpin1 states
Cottus asperrimusCottidaeNativeFresh
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

All 28 species in Cottidae