Roughback sculpin
The roughback sculpin is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The roughback sculpin is the only known member of the genus Chitonotus.
Taxonomy
The roughback sculpin was first formally described as Artedius pugetensis in 1876 by the Austrian ichthyologist Franz Steindachner with its type locality given as Fox Island near Steilacom, northern Puget Sound and San Francisco. In 1879 the English zoologist, and curator of the California Academy of Sciences, William Neale Lockington proposed the monospecific genus Chitonotus for the roughback sculpin. The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the genus Alcichthys within the subfamily Cottinae of the family Cottidae, however, other authors classify the genus within the subfamily Icelinae of the family Psychrolutidae.Etymology
The roughback sculpin's genus name, Chitonotus, is a combuination of chiton, meaning an "outer coat" or a "coat of mail", and notos, meaning back, referring to the ctenoid scales on its upper body which give it a rough feeling. The specific name refers to its type locality in Puget Sound.Distribution and habitat
The roughback sculpin is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean where it occurs along the western coast of North America from Bahia Santa Maria in Baja California Sur, Mexico, north to Trail Island in the Wark Channel of British Columbia and, probably, also in southeastern Alaska.It is a demersal fish occurring on substrates of sand, gravel, small rocks, and rock in the intertidal zone down to depths of.