Category: Fish

Striped Kelpfish

Kelpfishes and Fringeheads: Family Clinidae Species: Gibbonsai metzi (Hubbs, 1927); from Gibbonsai (William P. Gibbons, an early naturalist from Alameda), and metzi (Charles W. Metz, a student of ichthyology once interested in kelpfish). Alternate Names: Striped kelp-fish, seaweed kelpfish, weed klipfish. Called sargacero or sargacero…

Pacific Staghorn Sculpin

Sculpins: Family Cottidae Species: Leptocottus armatus (Girard, 1854); from the Greek words leptos (slender) and cottus (a sculpin); and the Latin word armatus (armed, referring to the strong antler-like preopercular spine). Alternate Names: Commonly called bullhead; also smooth cabezon, buffalo sculpin, and smooth sculpin. Called…

Crevice Kelpfish

Kelpfishes and Fringeheads: Family Clinidae Species: Gibbonsai montereyensis (Hubbs, 1927); from Gibbonsai (William P. Gibbons, an early naturalist from Alameda), and montereyensis (Monterey, an early collection point for the fish). Alternate Names: Spotted kelpfish and crevice klipfish. Called sargacero or sargacero de Monterey in Mexico.…

Spotted Kelpfish

Kelpfishes and Fringeheads: Family Clinidae Species: Gibbonsia elegans (Cooper, 1864); from Gibbonsai (William P. Gibbons, an early naturalist from Alameda), and the Latin word elegans (elegant or handsome). Alternate Names: Called Sargacero or Sargacero manchado in Mexico. Identification: Typical kelpfish shape—pointed snout, tiny mouth, rounded…

Buffalo Sculpin

Sculpins: Family Cottidae Species: Enophrys bison (Girard, 1854); from the Greek words en (on), ephrys (eyebrow), and bison (referring to the two bison-like horns or spines on the head). Alternate Names: Often called bullhead and mistaken for cabezon. Called büffelgroppe in Germany, glowacz bizonik in…

Jack Mackerel

Jacks, Amberjacks, and Pompanos: Family Carangidae Species: Trachurus symmetricus (Ayres, 1855); from the Greek words trachus (rough) and oura (tail), and the Latin word symmetria (symmetrical or regularly shaped). A member of the jack family Carangidae. Alternate Names: Spanish mackerel, Spaniard, California horse mackerel, mackerel jack,…

Soupfin Shark

Smoothhounds: Family Triakididae Species: Galeorhinus zyopterus (Linnaeus, 1758); from the Greek words galeos (a kind of shark), rhinos (nose or snout), zuon, (animal) and pteron (fin-large pectoral fin). Alternate Names: Tope, oil shark, vitamin shark, snapper shark. Called tiburón aceitoso in Mexico. Identification: They have…

Finescale Triggerfish

Triggerfishes and Filefishes: Family Balistodae Species: Balistes polylepis (Steindachner, 1876); Balistes comes from the Latin word ballista (a device that shoots arrows—referring to the trigger-like spine) and the Greek word polylepis (many scales) Alternate Name: Triggerfish. In Mexico called cochi, puerco coche, cochito or pez…

Pacific Electric Ray

Electric Rays: Family Torpedinidae Species: Tetronarce californica; (Ayres, 1855); from the Greek word torpedo (for numbness—from the electric shock) and californica (for California, where the first specimens were taken). Formerly Torpedo californica. Alternate Names: Torpedo ray, numbfish, crampfish or torpedo. Called torpedo del Pacifico or torpedo…

Pacific Angel Shark

Pacific Angel Sharks: Family Squatinidae Species: Squatina californica (Ayres, 1859); from the Latin squatina (an ancient name for a related Mediterranean species) and californica (describing where the fish was first caught). Alternate Names: Angel shark, monkfish, squat and squato. Called angelote or tiburón angel in Mexico.…