Clinocottus
{{Short description|Genus of fishes}}
{{Automatic_taxobox
| image =FMIB 47909 Oligocottus embryum.jpeg
| image_caption = Clinocottus embryum
| taxon = Clinocottus
| authority = Gill, 1861
| type_species = Oligocottus analis
| type_species_authority = Girard, 1858{{Cof family|family=Oligocottinae|access-date=14 January 2023}}
| synonyms = {{Genus list
| Allocottus | Hubbs, 1926
| Blennicottus | Gill, 1861
| Montereya | Hubbs, 1926
| Oxycottus | Jordan & Evermann, 1898
| Rusulus | Starks & Mann, 1911
}}
}}
Clinocottus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. They are nearshore benthic fishes native to the northeastern Pacific Ocean. They are mentioned as sharpnose sculpins.[https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=167222 Clinocottus Gill, 1861] ITIS
Taxonomy
Clinocottus was first proposed as a monospecific genus in 1861 by the American zoologist Theodore Gill with Oligocottus analis, which had been described in 1858 by Charles Frédéric Girard from Monterey, California, as its only species.{{Cof genus|genus=Clinocottus|access-date=14 January 2023}} Molecular data indicate that this genus is polyphyletic or paraphyletic, it does not constitute a natural assemblage within Cottidae.{{cite journal | author1 =Thaddaeus J. Buser | author2 = J. Andrés López | year = 2015 | url = http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1055790315000627 | title = Molecular phylogenetics of sculpins of the subfamily Oligocottinae (Cottidae)] | journal =Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume = 86 | pages =64–74| doi = 10.1016/j.ympev.2015.03.006 | pmid = 25791911 }} Workers have found that the lavender sculpin (Leiocottus hirundo) is the sister taxon to C. analis, a species which is not closely related to C. acuticeps. In turn, C. acuticeps is determined to be basal to Artedius,{{cite journal | author1 = Marina L. Ramon | author2 = Matthew L. Knope | year =2008 | title = Molecular support for marine sculpin (Cottidae; Oligocottinae) diversification during the transition from the subtidal to intertidal habitat in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean | journal =Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume = 46 | issue = 2 | pages = 475–483 | doi =10.1016/j.ympev.2007.11.005| pmid = 18248743 }} or to the clade referred to as Oligocottinae.{{cite journal | author = Matthew L. Knope | year = 2013 | title = Phylogenetics of the marine sculpins (Teleostei: Cottidae) of the North American Pacific Coast | journal = Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume = 66 | issue = 1 | pages = 341–349|doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2012.10.008| pmid = 23099148 }} The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the genus Clinocottus within the subfamily Cottinae of the family Cottidae,{{cite book |title=Fishes of the World |edition=5th |author1=J. S. Nelson |author2=T. C. Grande |author3=M. V. H. Wilson |year=2016 |pages=467–495 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-1-118-34233-6 |url=https://sites.google.com/site/fotw5th/ |access-date=2023-01-14 |archive-date=2019-04-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408194051/https://sites.google.com/site/fotw5th/ |url-status=dead }} however, other authors classify the genus within the subfamily Oligocottinae of the family Psychrolutidae.
Etymology
Clinocottus combines Clinus a genus of blennies with Cottus, probably because Girard though the rounded head of the mosshead sculpin was reminiscent of the ehad shape of some gobies and blennies.{{cite web | url = https://etyfish.org/perciformes20/ | title = Order Perciformes: Suborder Cottoidea: Infraorder Cottales: Family Cottidae (Sculpins) | work = The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database | editor1= Christopher Scharpf | editor2 = Kenneth J. Lazara | name-list-style = amp |date = 22 October 2022 | access-date = 29 January 2023 | publisher = Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara}}
Species
There are currently five recognized species in this genus:{{FishBase genus | genus = Clinocottus| month = August | year = 2022}}
- Clinocottus acuticeps (C. H. Gilbert, 1896) (Sharpnose sculpin)
- Clinocottus analis (Girard, 1858) (Woolly sculpin)
- Clinocottus embryum (D. S. Jordan & Starks, 1895) (Calico sculpin)
- Clinocottus globiceps (Girard, 1858) (Mosshead sculpin)
- Clinocottus recalvus (Greeley, 1899) (Bald sculpin)
Characteristics
Clinocottus sculpins are characterised by having the anus in a forward position between the anal fin and the pelvic fins, they have a heavy and blunt penis and in both sexes the anal fin is unmodified. C. analis and C. acuticeps have pointed heads, which is regarded as a basal feature and the remaining 3 species have sizeable, rounded heads. This is suggestive of the paraphyly of the group. These are small sculpins, the largest species is the mosshead sculpin with a maximum published total length of {{cvt|19|cm}} and the smallest is the calico sculpin with a maximum published total length of {{cvt|7|cm}}.