Species: Reticulate Sculpin (Cottus perplexus)
Location: Corvallis, Oregon
Date: December 18, 2017
I try to provide content on my blog independent of what I publish in newspapers and magazines, but if I’ve already told a story well, there’s no point retelling it.
This is post 1-of-4 that will just link to an article after providing some basic identification tips.
The tale of my first Reticulate Sculpin was already published. It was my first attempt at microfishing and one of my most successful nights microfishing; I added four new species!
I will add sculpin identification tips here, though, especially because Prickly Sculpin and Reticulate Sculpin are so similar. Though side-by-side, the fish do look slightly different because Prickly Sculpin have an anal fin with longer soft rays, when caught individually, they can be tough to separate.
The main characteristic is in the name: Prickly Sculpin are prickly. Their skin feels like sandpaper, while Reticulate Sculpin have smooth skin.
They share water, so that’s the most reliable way to identify them.
Read the story of all four by clicking here.
#SpeciesQuest // #CaughtOvgard
Read the next entry in #SpeciesQuest here: Species #115 — Prickly Sculpin.
