Category: Fish

Pacific Spiny Dogfish

Dogfish Sharks: Family Squalidae Species: Squalus suckleyi; from the Latin word squalus (shark) and suckleyi honoring George Suckley (1830-1869), a naturalist and Civil War surgeon OR Squalus acanthias (Linnaeus, 1758); from the Latin word squalus (shark) and the Greek word akanthias (spines). Pick A or B—but…

Round Stingray

Stingrays: Family Dasyatididae Species: Urobatis halleri (Cooper, 1863); Urobatis comes from two Greek words meaning tail and ray; halleri is from George Haller (1852-1889). Alternate Names: Stingray, stingaree or stinger. Called raya de espina, raya redonda común, or raya redonda de aguijón in Mexico. Called…

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 Herring

Herring: Family Clupeidae Species: Clupea harengus pallasi (Valenciennes, 1847); from the Latin word clupea (herring), the Low Latin word harengus, which probably comes from old High German, possibly associated with (das) herr, (army or multitude, in reference to the formation of large schools), and pallasi,…

California Butterfly Ray

Species: Gymnura marmorata (Cooper, 1864); from the Greek word gymnos (bare) and the Latin word marmoratus (marbled). Alternate Names: stingray, butterfly stingray, eagle ray, diamond ray or butterfly ray. In Mexico it’s called raya mariposa de California. In Denmark it’s apparently called Californisk sommerfuglerokke; not…

Yellow Snake Eel

Snake Eels and Worm Eels: Family Ophichthidae Species: Ophichthus zophochir (Jordan & Gilbert, 1882); Ophichthus, from two Greek words meaning serpent and fish, and the Greek zophochir, for darkness and hand (dark pectoral fins). Alternate Names: Eww, a snake! In Mexico called Tieso Amarillo; in…

Basketweave Cusk-Eel

Cusk-Eel from the Newport Pier Cusk-Eels: Family Ophidiidae Species: Ophidion Scrippsae (Hubbs, 1916); from the words otophidium (referring to the large sacklike inner ear) and scrippsi (in honor of Ellen Browning Scripps who helped establish the Scripps Institution of Oceanography). Formerly Otophidium scrippsi. Alternate Names: Eel…

Specklefin Midshipman

Toadfishes: Family Batrachoididae Species: Porichthys myriaster (Hubbs & Schultz, 1939); from the Greek words porus (a passage), ichthys (fish), myri (many), and aster (stars—in reference to the dots on the head and body). Alternate Names: Toadfish, speckled midshipman, bullhead, singing fish. Called sapo aleta manchada…

Striped Mullet

Mullet caught at Carlsbad by jkim in 2004 Mullets: Family Mugilidae Species: Mugil cephalus (Linnaeus, 1758); from mugal (meaning to suck, in reference to their feeding behavior) and cephalus (pertaining to their distinctive head Alternate Names: Mullet or grey mullet. Called lisa or lisa rayada…