Monkeyface Prickleback, Cebidichthys violaceus
Monkeyface Prickleback, Cebidichthys violaceus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Half Moon Bay, California, September 2023. Length: 18 cm (7.1 5 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Peoria, Illinois.
Monkeyface Prickleback, Cebidichthys violaceus, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters of Brookings, Oregon, February 2022. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Monkeyface Prickleback, Cebidichthys violaceus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Brookings, Oregon, November 2020. Length: 24 cm (9.4 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Monkeyface Prickleback, Cebidichthys violaceus. Fish caught from with the Santa Cruz Harbor, Santa Cruz, California, March 2021. Length: 28 cm (11 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Chris Moore, Peoria, Arizona.
Monkeyface Prickleback, Cebidichthys violaceus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Half Moon Bay, California, July 2012. Length: 28 cm (11 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Kenneth Tse, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The Monkeyface Prickleback, Cebidichthys violaceus, is a member of the Prickleback or Stichaeidae Family, that is also known as the Monkeyface Eel and in Mexico as abrojo cara de mono. Globally, the Stichaeidae Family has seventy-one known species that have been placed into thirty-five genera with one global species in the genus Cebidichthys, which is found in Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean and is described here.
The Monkeyface Prickleback has an elongated eel-like body. They vary in color from uniform light brown to dark green with some fish having orange spots on their body and orange-colored fins with orange tips. Males and females are similar in color and appearance. Their head has a bluntly rounded snout, large fleshy lips, and 2 black lines that radiate from behind the eyes. Their dorsal fin runs along the length of the back.
The Monkeyface Prickleback is a common inshore non-migratory species found demersal in tidal pools, shallow rocky areas, and kelp beds from the intertidal zone to depths up to 15 m (80 feet). They have a slow growth rate with males being larger than females and reaching a maximum of 76 cm (2 feet 6 inches) in length and 2.7 kg (5 lbs 11 oz) in weight. They have the somewhat unique characteristic of being able to remain out of water for up to 35 hours under rocks or within seaweed due to their ability to breathe air. Juveniles consume crustaceans and zooplankton and adults are herbivores and consume algae. They are preyed upon by other fish and shore birds. Reproduction is oviparous with nests placed in rock crevices. Fertilization is internal with each female laying up to 46,000 eggs annually, which are guarded by both parents. They have a lifespan of up to eighteen years. The Monkeyface Prickleback is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.
The Monkeyface Prickleback is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean but has a limited distribution being found from San Quintin, Baja California, northward along the northwest coast of Baja.
The Monkeyface Prickleback is straightforward to identify and cannot easily be confused with any other species with the possible exception of the Black Prickleback, Xiphister atropurpureus (lateral line is not prominent; smooth forehead).
From a conservation perspective the Monkeyface Prickleback has not yet been formally evaluated. They are pursued and caught by recreational anglers within coastal tidal pools. They are also often found by “tidal-poolers” under overturned rocks. They are considered an excellent food fish by subsistence fishermen and were a mainstay of Native Americans for centuries along the California coast. They are sold by the aquarium trade and available online on a limited basis.