Species: Sebastolobus alascanus, Shortspine thornyhead
gill chamber pale
Sebastolobus alascanus Bean, 1890
Shortspine thornyhead
Body moderately compressed, elongate; head relatively large & spiny, pointed; eyes large, on top of head, close-set, concave between them; head spines strongly developed, 8 pairs along top of head; longitudinal ridge under eye with 8-10 strong spines; numerous small conical teeth on jaws; gill rakers 18-23; a single dorsal fin, strongly notched at the rear of the spiny part, XVI (XV-XVII) strong, venomous spines, 3rd spine shorter than 4th, 9-10 (8-11) soft rays; anal fin III, 2nd spine longer than 3rd, 5 (4-6); pectoral fin 20-23, with strong notch in rear border; pelvics I, 5, under pectorals; tail fin edge straight; lateral line with 29-36 pored scales; scales small, rough.
Adults with orange to orange-red bodies, often with dark dots; throat white, white blotches on cheeks, body and spiny dorsal fin, especially spine tips; gill chamber pale; a dark blotch on rear of spiny dorsal fin.Young with more black on fins.
Reach 80 cm.
Depth range: 20-1524 m.
Live on soft bottoms.
Range from Japan to central Pacific Baja; vagrants to Costa Rica.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- In & Offshore
- Offshore
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Mud
- Reef and soft bottom
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Rocks
- FishBase Habitat
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- Bathydemersal
- Feeding Group
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- Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
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- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Mobile benthic worms
- Data
- Sea-stars/cucumbers/urchins
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Bony fishes
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- TEP non-endemic
- "Transpacific" (East + Central &/or West Pacific)
- Regional Endemism
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- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) non-endemic
- California province, primarily
- Temperate Eastern Pacific, primarily
- Continent
- Eastern Pacific non-endemic
- Residency
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- Vagrant
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
- IUCN Red List
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- Endangered
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Depth Range Min
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- 20
- Depth Range Max
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- 1524
- Length Max
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- 80
