Distinguishing Features
This species is very difficult to
distinguish from the Mottled Sculpin (Scott and Crossman, 1973).
The colour is a light brown-yellow with darker spots on the dorsal
side (back). Mottling not as evident as on the mottled sculpin and
bands may be absent from the fins.
Distribution
Columbia Basin: Restricted to the
Columbia River below the Keenlyside Dam (mainly in the minor tributaries),
and the Slocan River. Earlier reports from the Flathead River have
now been identified as mottled sculpin.
British Columbia: Only in the Kettle
River and the Columbia River (see above).
Global: Found only in the Pacific
drainage of North America, in the Puget Sound and Columbia River
basins.
Habitat
Prefers fast riffles of colder streams
with rubble or gravel bottoms, but also inhabits large rivers with
slow moving water They are generally found in more upstream habitats
than mottled sculpin, but in the lower Columbia system, they prefer
the lower portions of minor tributaries (Cannings and Ptolemy, 1998).
Threats
Healthy populations occur in many
creeks, but critical habitat requirements are unknown. Water quality
and quantity is a concern in the lower Columbia River.
Biology
Closely related to the mottled sculpin, it feeds
primarily on bottom-dwelling organisms such as insect larvae and
other smaller sculpins and their eggs (Cannings and Ptolemy, 1998).
