Black Prickleback

Authors:  Matt Czyz and Garnet Spring

Common name: Black Prickleback, Black Blenny

Scientific name: Xiphister atropurpureus

Size: up to 32cm in length

Identifying Features:  The Black Prickleback is dark reddish brown to black in color with a pale head. The head is small with approximately three light edged bands radiating from each eye. They are also recognized for having large features, especially a large jaw.  It has no pelvid fins and extremely small pectoral fins.

Habitat:  Black Pricklebacks prefer to live in rocky terrain with algae cover. They can be easily found under rocks and gravel and the smaller ones are commonly found in small tide pools. They are capable of breathing air and can be out of water for up to twenty three hours.  They do this by keeping moist by burrowing under seaweed and wet rocks. Usually they live somewhere around 7.6 meters from the surface.

Food (Prey):  The Black Prickleback mostly eats seaweeds but it may also eat small arthropods as well.

Predators:  Black Pricklebacks are mainly hunted by sea birds such as the Great Blue Heron, mink and raccoons.

Life cycle:  Spawning takes places from February to April off the west coast of the United States and from April to mid-May off the coast of British Columbia. Females will lay 700 to 4000 eggs under rocks or other protected areas. The eggs are deposited one by one and fertilized by the male.  They are then shaped into spherical clusters by the mother and father. Males fertilize and guard the eggs from multiple mates.  Black Pricklebacks can live to be thirteen years old but their overall age at maturity is just two years.

Photos by D. Young

References

BioOne Northwest science (2012) Xiphister atropurpureus.  Retrieved May 11 http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.3955/046.083.0407

Hart, J. L. (1988). Pacific fishes of Canada. Ottawa: Canadian Government Publishing Center

Lamb, A. and Edgell, P. (1986, 2010) Coastal fishes of the Pacific
Northwest. Madeira Park, BC, Canada. Harbour Publishing.

Oregon State University: Visitor center (2012) Xiphister atropurpureus.  Retrieved May 10, 2012 from  http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/visitor/node/321

MSAP (2012) Xiphister atropurpureus Retrieved May 11, 2012 from  http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/projects/msap/PS/masterlist/fish/blackprickleback.html

Xiphister atropurpureus (2012) Retrieved May 10, 2012 from  http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Xiphister-atropurpureus.html