Species: Porichthys notatus, Plainfin midshipman
white blotch under eye
fins no spots, D&A - dark edges
lights in V band across front chin
Porichthys notatus Girard, 1854
Plainfin midshipman
Body compressed, elongate; head a little flattened above, no tentacles;one solid spine on opercle; no subopercular spines; teeth like canines; 10-11 (9-12) lower gill rakers; first dorsal fin 2 solid spines, separate from second dorsal fin; second dorsal 35 (33-36) rays; anal rays 33 (30-35); dorsal and anal fins not joined to tail; pectoral 16-20 rays; no scales; 4 lateral lines on body with light organs; lower lateral line ends ~ 3 pores BEFORE same line of light organs; row of light organs under each side of chin connected across front by a broad forward pointing V shaped row of lights.
Iridescent purplish to bronze, yellowish below; top of head unmarked; young with 7 (5-9) dark saddles on upper back; a white blotch under eye, with a dark crescent below it, white at rear end of top jaw; fins without spots; dorsal fin plain or with dark edge; anal fin with dusky edge.
Size: 38 cm.
Habitat: mud and sand bottoms.
Depth: 0-366 m.
British Columbia to a little south of Magdalena Bay, Baja California.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Marine Only
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
-
- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom only
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Mud
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- No Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
-
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Bony fishes
- No Data
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Egg Type
-
- No pelagic larva
- Brooded
- No pelagic phase
- No data
- Global Endemism
-
- All species
- East Pacific endemic
- TEP non-endemic
- Regional Endemism
-
- Continent only
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) non-endemic
- California province, primarily
- All species
- Temperate Eastern Pacific, primarily
- Continent
- Residency
-
- Vagrant
- Climate Zone
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- North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- IUCN Red List
-
- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 38
- Depth Range Min
-
- 0
- Depth Range Max
-
- 366
