shorthead sculpin

Open encyclopedia reference

The shorthead sculpin (Cottus confusus) is a species of fish in the family Cottidae. Shorthead sculpins are small, bottom-dwelling fish, typically measuring around 13 to 15 cm in length. They have large heads, fanlike pectoral fins, and a narrow caudal peduncle. Their physical characteristics include 7–9 dorsal spines, 15–19 dorsal soft rays, 10–14 anal soft rays, and palatine teeth. Their coloration is a mix of dark brown and yellow.

It is found in the United States and Canada, inhabiting the Columbia River drainage in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and British Columbia. It is also found in the Puget Sound drainage of Washington and in California. They will inhabit water where the temperatures range from 15.5 °C to 23.9 °C. They reach a maximum length of 15.0 cm. They will reside in rocky riffles of cold, clear streams, and occasionally lakes. They are sedentary, and nocturnal. Shorthead sculpins inhabit cold and cool water streams embedded with gravel-rocky substrates. In Idaho, they are found year-round, while in other regions they are found primarily in the spring.

Wikipedia contributors, Shorthead sculpin; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:46:35.561738+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Cottus confusus Bailey & Bond, 1963

Name authority

Bailey & Bond, 1963

Common name

shorthead sculpin

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Teleostei

Order

Perciformes

Family

Cottidae

Genus

Cottus

Extinction status

Not supplied by this source

Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · 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.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. gigaclassActinopterygii
8. superclassActinopteri
9. classTeleostei
10. orderPerciformes
11. suborderCottoidei
12. familyCottidae Bonaparte, 1831
13. genusCottus Linnaeus, 1758
14. speciesCottus confusus Bailey & Bond, 1963

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Cottus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 186 records assigned to Cottidae.

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.

1. Bailey, R. M., & Bond, C. E. (1963). Four new species of freshwater sculpins, genus Cottus, from western North America. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology University of Michigan, 634. 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:6B8DR. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.