I think this is a Slimy Snailfish (Liparis mucosus). We hadn't seen this species before, so we took a few documentary photos for the record.
For scale, the fish was ~7-8 cm (~3 inches) long. [Those are the blades of Stephanocystis (formerly Cystoseira) osmundacea surrounding the fish.]
The striped patterning was mesmerizing. Here's a close-up of the head:
And an even closer one of that intriguing eye with the teardrop-shaped pupil:
Slimy Snailfish have a broad distribution from Alaska to Baja California, Mexico. The Guide to the Coastal Marine Fishes of California (Miller and Lea, 1972) says they're uncommon. Although there is a more common snailfish in our area (the Tidepool Snailfish, Liparis florae), it was fun to meet a different species! (Thanks, Eric!)
Fun fact: The snailfish family includes a species that has occurred deeper in the ocean than any other fish — over 26,000 feet (~8 km) below the surface along the Mariana Trench.
Jackie- what a cool fish! I was wondering if you've seen a fish with the teardrop-shaped pupils before, or if it could be because of the angle of the photo? Or is it just a really cool fish eye?
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ReplyDeleteWell, I don't think I've noticed that shape before, but I can't say for sure. Next time I see the more common species of snailfish, I'll have to check the pupil shape!
I do have quite a few photos of the Slimy Snailfish from different angles, and the pupil shape appears the same in all of the images.
I did a quick Internet search for pupil shapes in fish, and there are some papers about different pupil shapes in vertebrates and how they relate to ecological niches, but I haven't had a chance to sort through all of that info!
https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/1/7/e1500391
:) Jackie
My wife and I dove in Monterey one weekend. At around thirty feet deep I checked my dive computer and there on the face was a slimy snail fish about 1 inch long!
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