This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Sculpin is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (March 2008) |
(For the American submarines named "Sculpin" go to: USS Sculpin)
A Sculpin is a fish that belongs to the Order Scorpaeniformes, Suborder Cottoidei and Superfamily Cottoidea that contains 11 families, 149 genera, and 756 species according to 1 though these totals will likely change as more molecular work is done. The currently recognized families are:
- Abyssocottidae: deepwater Baikal sculpins (22 spp)
- Agonidae: poacher (fish) (47 spp)
- Bathylutichthyidae the antarctic sculpin (1 sp)
- Comephoridae: Baikal oilfishes (2 spp)
- Cottidae: common sculpins (~275 spp)
- Ereuniidae: deepwater sculpins (3 spp)
- Hemitripteridae: searavens (8 spp)
- Psychrolutidae: fathead sculpins (35 spp)
- Rhamphocottidae: the grunt sculpin (1 sp)
The vast majority of these species live in salt water; only the Abyssocottids, Comephorids, and a few species of Cottids living in fresh water. These bottom feeders are generally not considered good to eat, and have sharp spines rather than scales. Sculpin can live for several hours out of water if kept moist. They use their large pectoral fins to stabilize themselves on the floor of flowing creeks and rivers.
The easiest fishing method for Sculpin is a dropper loop setup with live or dead anchovies. Other good baits include squid and shrimp. Sculpin have also been caught on large plastic baits such as scampi and large grubs. Line size is not especially important as most Sculpin are caught in deeper water. Suitable hook sizes range from 1/0 to 3/0 Sculpin are not particularly fussy.
Sculpin stings are very painful and are often associated with swelling and reddening of the affected area. The most common treatment for a Sculpin sting is to submerge the stung area in warm to hot temperature water. The heat will help to denature the proteins in the poison and to relieve the pain of the sting. Sculpin are found in Fresh and Salt water. The freshwater ones are called "muddlers" or "Miller's Thumbs" and are often used as bait for Brown Trout and bass. Saltwater Staghorn Sculpins are used as bait for large Pacific Striped Bass. All but the Staghorn have large, sharp teeth, and some, like the large Sea raven, can inflict serious bites on people. Their venomous spines are on both dorsal fins, the pectoral fins, pelvic fins, anal fins, and several on the gill cover.
 |
This Scorpaeniformes article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
SOURCES: McClanes guide to freshwater fishes of North America. McClanes Guide to Saltwater fishes of North America. BY AJ McCLANE. The New Fishing Encyclopedia. www.thejump.net/fish
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 13 September 2008, at 05:25.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Sculpin".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.