Coralline Sculpin, Artedius corallinus

Coralline Sculpin, Artedius corallinus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Trinidad, California, August 2021. Length: 16 cm (6.3 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

The Coralline Sculpin, Artedius coralinus, is a member of the Sculpin or Cottidae Family, that is known in Mexico as charrasco coralino. Globally there are five species in the Genus Artedius of which three are found in Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The Coralline Sculpin has a robust body with a large broad depressed head. The mouth extends to rear margin of the large eyes. They are dark gray to reddish-brown dorsally with purplish-red mottling on head and back. They have two prominent wide white bands on the head separated by a wide red-brown band and prominent white spot at the base of the caudal peduncle. The anal, caudal, and dorsal fins are transparent with brown spines and rays, and the pelvic fins are transparent with brown bars. They have a series of mid-sized round white spots ventrally just above the elongated anal fin. Their anal fin has 12 or 13 rays; their caudal fin is square, their first dorsal fin has 9 spines, their second dorsal fin has 15 or 16 rays, their pectoral fins have 15 or 16 rays, and, their pelvic fins have 1 spine and 3 rays.

The Coralline Sculpin is a demersal species that is found within the intertidal zone in rocky areas under boulders and in crevices to depths up to 70 m (230 feet). They reach a maximum length of 14 cm (5.5 inches). They consume algae, amphipods, copepods, polychaetes, shrimps, and snails. In turn they are preyed upon by a wide variety of fish. Reproduction is oviparous with external fertilization. The Coralline Sculpin 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 Coralline Sculpin Sculpin is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific but has a limited distribution, being found from San Martin Island, Baja California, northward along the northwest coast of Baja.

Due to the colorations the Coralline Sculpin is straightforward to identify and cannot be confused with any other species.

From a conservation perspective The Coralline Sculpin has not been formally evaluated. They are relatively small being of limited interest to most.