shortspine thornyhead
Sebastolobus alascanus Bean, 1890
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The shortspine thornyhead (Sebastolobus alascanus), also known as the channel rockcod, shortspine channel rockfish or spinycheek rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is sometimes referred to as the "idiot fish" or "idiot cod" due to its large oversized head and eyes. It is found in the northern and northeastern Pacific Ocean.
Wikipedia contributors, Shortspine thornyhead; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:52:27.061153+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Sebastolobus alascanus Bean, 1890
- Name authority
- Bean, 1890
- Common name
- shortspine thornyhead
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Perciformes
- Family
- Sebastidae
- Genus
- Sebastolobus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderPerciformes
- suborderScorpaenoidei
- familySebastidae Kaup, 1873
- subfamilySebastolobinae Matsubara, 1943
- genusSebastolobus Gill, 1881
- speciesSebastolobus alascanus Bean, 1890
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Sebastolobus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| longspine thornyheadSebastolobus altivelis Gilbert, 1896 | SebastidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Broadbanded thornyheadSebastolobus macrochir (Günther, 1877) | SebastidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Sebastodes alascanus (Bean, 1890) (Bean, 1890) | synonym |
| Sebastes (Sebastodes) alascanus (Bean, 1890) (Bean, 1890) | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Bean, T. H. (1890). Scientific results of explorations by the U. S. Fish Commission steamer Albatross. No. XI. New fishes collected off the coast of Alaska and the adjacent region southward. Proceedings of the United States National Museum, 13 (795): 37–45. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00963801.13-795.37 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4W7ZL. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.