Shorefishes of the Eastern Pacific online information system

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Species: Sebastes sinensis, Blackmouth rockfish

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

red +/- dark blotches
inside mouth & gill chamber black
D 11
no spine over center eye
spines above front mouth point back
scales smooth

Sebastes sinensis Chen, 1975

Blackmouth rockfish

Body compressed, oval; head relatively large, compressed, bluntly pointed; eye moderately large; between eyes narrow, with 3 grooves; head spines strong; top of head with 6-7 pairs of spines, absent over center of eye; lower edge of bone below eye & above front side of mouth with 2 spines pointing down & to rear; no spiny longitudinal ridge under eye; numerous small conical teeth on jaws; teeth present on roof of mouth; gill rakers 29-33; a single dorsal fin, usually strongly notched at the rear of the spiny part, XIII strong, venomous spines, 4th-5th spines longest,11 (11-13) soft rays; anal fin III, spines long, strong,  2nd spine longest, 5-6 (5-7); pelvics I, 5, under pectorals; pectorals large, 18 (17-18); tail fin slightly concave; lateral line with 36-46 pored scales, last one on base of tail fin; scales small, primarily smooth.

Adults pink to red, with light to heavy marking by dark patches on back and sides; membranes of edges of spinous dorsal and pectoral black; inside mouth, gill chamber and lining of gut cavity black.

Reaches 15.2 cm.

Lives on rocky bottoms?

Depth range: 290-654 m.

The central Gulf of California.   

Note: We have not included S. peduncularis and S. varispinnis, both of which are known only from a very few juveniles, and could be synonyms of S. cortezi and S. diploproa, respectively.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom only
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef only
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
  • Rocks
FishBase Habitat
  • Bathydemersal
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • No Data
Diet
  • Bony fishes
  • No Data
  • Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
Egg Type
  • Pelagic larva
  • Live birth
Global Endemism
  • East Pacific endemic
  • Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Continent only
  • Continent
  • Cortez province endemic
  • TEP endemic
  • Continental TEP endemic
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
IUCN Red List
  • Not evaluated / Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 15.2
Depth Range Min
  • 290
Depth Range Max
  • 654