Penpoint gunnel
Encyclopedia
The penpoint gunnel is a gunnel (Pholidae
) of the Pacific
coast found from Kodiak Island
in the Gulf of Alaska
to Santa Barbara Island
in southern California
.
The penpoint gunnel varies in shades of green, maroon, or brown. It is commonly 4-8 inches, though it can be up to 1 1/2 ft. It most easily distinguished by the dark bar below each eye, as it is commonly found peeking out of a kelp bed or crevice. However, if you are lucky enough to see the entire gunnel, there is a row of dark and/or pale spots along the midbody and commonly a series of short, pale bar-like marking extending down from the top of the dorsal fin. The first spine of the anal fin is large and grooved like a fountain pen point. It has a continuous dorsal, tail and anal fins, but no ventral fins. The tail is defined by slightly longer rays. The anal fin is about half the length of the dorsal fin.
The penpoint gunnel is found in intertidal areas (0–60 ft). It can sometimes be seen in tide pools, also in eelgrass beds, sea lettuce beds, and in stands of kelp. It commonly takes on the color of the vegetation it inhabits. If there is no vegetation (in winter, for example), it can also inhabit rocky areas, lurking under rocks and in protective crevices. However, it can also remain out of the water under rocks or seaweeds. The penpoint gunnel can breathe air when out of water.
Penpoint gunnels feed on small crustaceans and mollusks. Pairs are found coiled around egg masses.
Pholidae
The gunnels are a family, Pholidae, of fishes in the order Perciformes.They are elongated fishes native to the coasts of the northern Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans, where they inhabit intertidal and subtidal waters and eat crustaceans and molluscs.-Species:There are fifteen species in three...
) of the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
coast found from Kodiak Island
Kodiak Island
Kodiak Island is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the United States and the 80th largest island in the world, with an...
in the Gulf of Alaska
Gulf of Alaska
The Gulf of Alaska is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the east, where Glacier Bay and the Inside Passage are found.The entire shoreline of the Gulf is...
to Santa Barbara Island
Santa Barbara Island
Santa Barbara Island is a small island of the Channel Islands archipelago in California. It is located about off the Southern California coast from the Palos Verdes Peninsula, near Los Angeles in Ventura County, California....
in southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
The penpoint gunnel varies in shades of green, maroon, or brown. It is commonly 4-8 inches, though it can be up to 1 1/2 ft. It most easily distinguished by the dark bar below each eye, as it is commonly found peeking out of a kelp bed or crevice. However, if you are lucky enough to see the entire gunnel, there is a row of dark and/or pale spots along the midbody and commonly a series of short, pale bar-like marking extending down from the top of the dorsal fin. The first spine of the anal fin is large and grooved like a fountain pen point. It has a continuous dorsal, tail and anal fins, but no ventral fins. The tail is defined by slightly longer rays. The anal fin is about half the length of the dorsal fin.
The penpoint gunnel is found in intertidal areas (0–60 ft). It can sometimes be seen in tide pools, also in eelgrass beds, sea lettuce beds, and in stands of kelp. It commonly takes on the color of the vegetation it inhabits. If there is no vegetation (in winter, for example), it can also inhabit rocky areas, lurking under rocks and in protective crevices. However, it can also remain out of the water under rocks or seaweeds. The penpoint gunnel can breathe air when out of water.
Penpoint gunnels feed on small crustaceans and mollusks. Pairs are found coiled around egg masses.