1. Guides
  2. Fishes of the Upper Green River, KY
  3. Banded Sculpin

Banded Sculpin

Cottus carolinae

Summary 3

Cottus carolinae, or the banded sculpin, is a freshwater fish dwelling mostly in small to moderate sized streams in areas of swift current. Young and juvenile C. carolinae fish can mainly be found in pools, riffles, and other shallow habitats while adults tend to prefer deeper waters. Mating and nesting for the sculpin is in spring, with males carefully guarding the eggs until they hatch.

Distribution 4

Global Range: (200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)) Range includes upland streams in the Mississippi River basin from the upper Tennessee River drainage, Virginia, across Kentucky, Tennessee, southern Indiana, and southern Illinois to Ozark drainages, southern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, northern Arkansas, and northeastern Oklahoma; south to northern Alabama; upland and lowland streams in Alabama River drainage, Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama (Page and Burr 2011, which see for subspecies ranges).

Habitat and ecology 5

Habitat and Ecology

Habitat includes small to moderate-sized clear, cool to warm streams (Lee et al. 1980); gravel and rubble riffles of headwaters, creeks, and small rivers; also springs and their effluents; caves in some areas (Page and Burr 2011). This sculpin probably only occurs in spring-fed streams in Illinois (Smith 1979). It is usually under rocks during daylight, on top of rocks at night in Tennessee (Greenberg and Holtzman 1987). Eggs are deposited possibly singly or are broadcast indiscriminately over gravel; no nests have been found.

Systems
  • Freshwater

Iucn red list assessment 6


Red List Category
LC
Least Concern

Red List Criteria

Version
3.1

Year Assessed
2013

Assessor/s
NatureServe

Reviewer/s
Smith, K. & Darwall, W.R.T.

Contributor/s

Justification
This species is listed as Least Concern in view of the large extent of occurrence, large number of subpopulations and locations, and large population size, and because the species probably is not declining fast enough to qualify for any of the threatened categories.

Morphology 7

Banded sculpins are bottom-dwellers with somewhat dorsally depressed bodies. Maximum total length is 18 centimeters (7.25 inches). The flattened body and large pectoral fins provide hydrodynamic adaptations to swift waters. These adaptations help the fish maintain position as it is pressed to the streambed by the overhead flow of water. Nonbuoyancy is acheived by the lack of a swimbladder (Etnier and Starnes, 1993). In general, sculpins have few or no scales. Ground color is most often rusty brown with four dark dorsal saddles (Etnier and Starnes, 1993). The last three saddles extend onto the sides as sharply defined bars (Page and Burr, 1991). The color of the body varies depending on the substrate and water clarity (Etnier and Starnes, 1993). The chin is mottled with dark pigment. The lateral line is complete, usually with 29 to 34 pores. There are 3 preopercular spines. The dorsal fins separate to the base (Page and Burr, 1991). The dorsal fin has 7 to 8 spines and 15 to 18 soft rays. The edge of the spinous dorsal fin is rust colored like the body but may be tinged with red in some spring habitats. The anal fin ray count is 12 to 14. Pectoral fin rays number 15 to 17 (Etnier and Starnes, 1993). There are 4 pelvic rays (Page and Burr, 1991). Principal caudal fin rays range from 10 to 12. Palantine teeth are well developed (Etnier and Starnes, 1993).

Range length: 18 (high) cm.

Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: sexes colored or patterned differently

Nature serve conservation status 8

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Range description 9

Range includes upland streams in the Mississippi River basin from the upper Tennessee River drainage, Virginia, across Kentucky, Tennessee, southern Indiana, and southern Illinois to Ozark drainages, southern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, northern Arkansas, and northeastern Oklahoma; south to northern Alabama; upland and lowland streams in Alabama River drainage, Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama (Page and Burr 2011 - see this for subspecies ranges).

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Noel Burkhead, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/51614465@N08/4751413053/
  2. (c) Tim Lane, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/119210184@N05/12897292373/
  3. Adapted by rkkessler from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottus_carolinae
  4. (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28839560
  5. (c) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/34399693
  6. (c) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/34399690
  7. (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31387811
  8. (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28839553
  9. (c) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/34399691

More Info

Range Map

(c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)

iNat Map

Member of the iNaturalist Network   |   Powered by iNaturalist open source software |   Documentation for developers