Deepwater Sculpin
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Name and Code
Family
Psychrolutidae - fathead sculpins
Species
Myoxocephalus thompsonii
Taxonomic Authority
(Girard 1851)
Common Name(s)
Deepwater Sculpin
French Name
chabot de profondeur
Species Code
384
Family TSN
167410
Parent TSN
167311
Species TSN
167323
Conservation Status
Global Rank (GRank)
G5 (2015-08-18)
National Rank (NRank)
N5 (2017-12-22)
Provincial Rank (SRank)
S3?1 (2018-03-28), S42, SU3 (2018-03-29)
COSEWIC Status
Special Concern1, Not at Risk2, Data Deficient3 (April 2017)
SARO Status
Not at Risk1,2, Data Deficient3 (2017)
AFS Status
none
Status Notes
(1) Great Lakes-Upper St. Lawrence populations; (2) Saskatchewan-Nelson River populations; (3) Southern Hudson Bay-James Bay populations
Ecological Value
Ontario Origin
native
General Abundance
uncommon
Tolerance
intolerant
Economic Importance
forage fish
Length-Weight Regression Coefficents
Intercept (a)
-6.009
Slope (b)
3.5512
Length Basis
TL
Habitat and Feeding
General Habitat(s)
lacustrine
Environment
benthic
Trophic Class
invertivore
Thermal Regime
coldwater
Habitat Preference
cold bottom waters of the hypolimnion, on soft sediments in deep lakes; usually at depths between 60-150 m in the Great Lakes; preferred water temperature range 4-5°C
Reproduction
Reproductive Guild
Guarders: Nest spawners: Lithophils
Spawning Habitat(s)
lacustrine
Spawning Season
summer-fall
Spawning Month(s)
August-October
Spawning Temperature (°C)
4-7
Fecundity
165-1,187
Nursery Habitat(s)
lacustrine
Size and Age
Adult Length (cm)
5.1-12.7 TL
Adult Weight (kg)
0.001-0.029
Age at Maturity (yrs)
2 (m); 3 (f)
Maximum Length (cm)
23.5 TL
Maximum Weight (kg)
0.06
Lifespan (yrs)
5-10
Ontario Records
Record Length (cm)
18.4 TL
Record Weight (kg)
none
Ontario Range Map
Deepwater Sculpin range
Ontario Distribution
Great Lakes (Superior, Huron, Ontario), Lake Nipigon, northwestern Ontario including Lake-of-the-Woods and a few widely scattered inland lakes in central Ontario
Photographs
Deepwater Sculpin photograph
Deepwater Sculpin photograph
Notes
probable year-round spawning occurs in the Great Lakes; only larval fish reported from Lake Erie; Great Lakes individuals attain larger size than inland
Information Sources
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