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The Red Irish Lord is a large species of sculpin from the Cottidae family, of the genus Hemilepidotinae. It is found mostly in coastal waters of the Northern Pacific Ocean, from Russia, to the Berring Sea, to Alaska, and as far as monterey Bay, California (Peden). It is a distinctly red fish, with brown, yellow, white, and black mottling (Shapiro), that can grow to up to 51.0 cm in length (Froesce).

Description

Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus grows to an average length of about 30 cm (Peden). As with most sculpins, it is only partially scaled and has a broad head and large eyes, with a slimmer body. Red Irish Lords are also characterized by a dorsal fin separated into three notches, with an average of 10-12 dorsal spines, and 18-20 dorsal soft rays (Fretwell and Starzomski 2015). It possesses several bands of scales along its body, the dorsal band being about 4-5 scales wide, with another band below the lateral line that is about 10 scales wide (Tokranov). However, there are no scales on its underside. It features frontal cirri of 4-8 barbels, and nasal cirri of 4-8 barbels, while lacking fleshy flaps on its nostrils (Fretwell and Starzomski 2015). It has 35 vertebrae. The Red Irish Lord can be identified by its namesake red coloration, which can also contain brown, yellow, white, and black mottling. It also has the ability of changing color to blend in with its surroundings (Fretwell and Starzomski 2015).

Distribution and Habitat

The Red Irish Lord is found along the temperate coastal waters of the Northern Pacific Ocean, from the Bering Sea in Russia, to Alaska, to the Western coast of the U.S. as far as Monterey Bay in California, although rare that far South (Peden). Red Irish Lords are sculpins, and therefore benthic, bottom dwelling fish that inhabit mostly shallow waters, but can live at deeper depths. They prefer a coastal, rocky habitat in reefs and shallow areas in the intertidal zone up to about 50 meters in depth, but their distribution can range all the way up to 450 meters. It’s hunting strategy and camouflaged coloration lend themselves to hiding at the sea floor among sand, rocks and other marine life, while waiting to ambush prey. (Froese and Pauly 2017).

Diet and Behavior

The Red Irish Lord is a carnivorous ambush predator, using its camouflage to blend in with the ocean floor, where it sits motionless and waits to strike at passing prey. Living mostly on the bottom, its main food sources are crabs, small fish, shrimp, mussels, and barnacles. (Brodeur /froesce). Like many other sculpins, it tends to hide within rock crevices, strike out for food and quickly resume its position (Finley). They are typically discarded by commercial fisheries.

Reproduction and Life Cycle

Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus is a non-migratory species. Its life cycle consists of five stages of development: egg, larvae, pre-juvenile, juvenile, and the adult stage (Peden).While the Red Irish Lord exhibits primarily maternal guarding of young, males have been shown to build guard nests into which the females then lay eggs.(Carassco). Juveniles typically live in tide pools for some period of time(Fratwell, Strazomski,).