BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Cottus aleuticus pop. 1
Coastrange Sculpin, Cultus Population
| Scientific Name: | Cottus aleuticus pop. 1 | ||||||||||
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| Scientific Name Synonyms: |
Cottus aleuticus
Cottus sp. 2 |
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| English Name: | Coastrange Sculpin, Cultus Population | ||||||||||
| English Name Synonyms: |
Cultus Lake Sculpin
Cultus Pygmy Sculpin |
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| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Coffie, P. A. 1998. Status of the Cultus pygmy sculpin, Cottus sp., in Canada. Canadian Field-Naturalist 112:126-129. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Population | ||||||||||
| Taxonomy Comments: | NR ALEUTICUS | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vertebrate Animal | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | F-COAL-01 | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5T1T2Q (May 2010) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S1S2 (May 2019) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Red | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | Endangered (Nov 2019) | ||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | 1 - Threatened (Jun 2003) | ||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | 1 - At Risk (2000) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | |||||||||||
| Subspecies Comments: | This is a limnetic population of minute Cottus that apparently has been derived from Cottus aleuticus, a widespread species that occurs in the fast-flowing streams that drain into Cultus Lake. The morphology of the limnetic form has been substantially altered from the parent C. aleuticus: the density of bone is reduced, there is an increase of lipids under the skin (both adaptations to vertical migrations within the upper limnetic zone), and there are large pores on the head. Because of their resemblance to sculpin larvae, McPhail believes this form to be an example of neotenic evolution (NatureServe 2005). There is a similar fish in Lake Washington near Seattle; probably a case of independent, parallel evolution. | ||||||||||
| Identification Comments: | A small larvae-like limnetic sculpin (maximum size about 5 cm). | ||||||||||
| Global Reproduction Comments: | Most of the population probably begin to breed in their third calendar year. Spawning probably begins in late May or early June; by late July spawning is in full swing. It continues to some extent throughout the summer. September 11 is the latest date on which a female containing large eggs was captured (Ricker 1960). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Reproduction Comments: | Most of the population probably begin to breed in their third calendar year (Ricker 1960). | ||||||||||
| Global Ecology Comments: | Commonly eaten by Dolly Varden char, SALVELINUS MALMA, a salmonid also confined to the deeper waters of Cultus Lake. Only rarely eaten by SALMO CLARKI and ONCORHYNCHUS KISUTCH, species which forage close to the water surface or closer inshore than do the char (Ricker 1960). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Ecology Comments: | Commonly eaten by bull trout, Salvelinus confluentus, a salmonid that forages in the deeper waters of Cultus Lake. Only rarely eaten by Oncorhynchus clarki and O. kisutch (Ricker 1960), species which feed close to the water surface or closer inshore in daylight, when prey is visible. | ||||||||||
| Migration Characteristics: (Global / Provincial) | |||||||||||
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Nonmigrant: Local Migrant: Distant Migrant: Within Borders Migrant: |
Y / Y N / N N / N na / N |
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| Provincial Mobility & Migration Comments: | Migrate vertically within the limnetic zone, possibly to feed near the surface at night; adults move to suitable spawning habitat possibly on the bottom near mouths of tributary streams or rocky groundwater areas. | ||||||||||
| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
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| Global Habitat Comments: | Confined to the deeper waters of a low elevation montane lake. No information is available on the spawning sites of this fish; no stream spawning has been observed, perhaps because almost all tributary streams dry up near the lake in most summers (Ricker 1960). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Habitat Comments: | Confined to the deeper waters of a low elevation montane lake. No information is available on the spawning sites of this fish; no stream spawning has been observed, perhaps because almost all tributary streams dry up near the lake in most summers (Ricker 1960). | ||||||||||
| Food Habits: |
Invertivore: Adult, Immature
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| Global Food Habits Comments: | The summer food of 16 specimens consisted of (in decreasing order of volume): DAPHNIA, chironomid midge larvae and pupae, EPISCHURA, Ostracoda, BOSMINA and CYCLOPS. In addition, one larger fish (37 mm long) had eaten a smaller COTTUS 14 mm long (Ricker 1960). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Food Habits Comments: | The summer food of 16 specimens consisted of (in decreasing order of volume): Daphnia, chironomid midge larvae and pupae, Epischura, Ostracoda, Bosmina and Cyclops. In addition, one larger fish (37 mm long) had eaten a smaller Cottus 14 mm long (Ricker 1960). | ||||||||||
| Global Phenology: | |||||||||||
| Global Phenology Comments: | Not found in char stomachs from December 10 to March 7 (Ricker 1960) [although this may reflect char feeding behaviour rather than activity of sculpins?]. | ||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
Jan: Present / Present
Feb: Present / Present Mar: Active / Active Apr: Active / Active May: Active / Reproducing June: Reproducing / Reproducing July: Reproducing / Reproducing Aug: Reproducing / Reproducing Sept: Reproducing / Active Oct: Active / Active Nov: Active / Active Dec: Active / Present |
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| Provincial Phenology Comments: | Spawning probably begins in late May or early June; by late July spawning is in full swing; it continues to some extent throughout the summer. September 11 is the latest date on which a female containing large eggs was captured (Ricker 1960). Not found in char stomachs from December 10 to March 7 (Ricker 1960) [although this may reflect char feeding behaviour rather than activity of sculpins?]. | ||||||||||
| Colonial Breeder: | N | ||||||||||
| Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): | 5/ / | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): |
Global:
Provincial: 46 / 46 |
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| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | Y | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | Found only in Cultus Lake, British Columbia. A similar sculpin is known from Lake Washington, Washington State, but is believed to be an independently evolved species. | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | Hammerson, G. | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | May 11, 1995 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | Ptolemy, J. | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Nov 05, 2005 | ||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
B.C. Ministry of Environment. Recovery Planning in BC. B.C. Minist. Environ. Victoria, BC. |
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Campbell, R.R. 1988. Rare and endangered fish and marine mammals of Canada: COSEWIC Fish and Marine Mammal Subcommittee Status Reports: IV. Canadian Field-Naturalist 102:81-86. |
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Coastrange Sculpin and Cultus Lake Sculpin. 1999. B.C. Fish Facts. Conserv. Sect., Fish. Manage. Branch, B.C. Minist. Fish. 2pp. |
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Hume, J. 1991. Tow summaries for Pitt, Harrison, and Cultus lakes. Unpubl. data, Dep. Fish. and Oceans, Cultus Lake, BC. |
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McPhail, J.D., and C.C. Lindsey. 1986. Zoogeography of freshwater fishes of Cascadia (the Columbia system and rivers north to the Stikine). Pages 615-637 in: C.H. Hocutt, and E.O. Wiley, eds. The zoogeography of North American freshwater fishes. John Wiley and Sons, Toronto. |
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NatureServe. 2005. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 4.2. NatureServe, Arlington, VA. Available: http://www.natureserve.org/explorer [Accessed: January 13, 2005]. |
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Ricker, W.E. 1960. A population of dwarf coastrange sculpins (Cottus aleuticus). J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 17:929-932. |
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Ricker, W.E. 1960. A population of dwarf coastrange sculpins (Cottus aleuticus). J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 17:929-932. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 1995. Species Summary: Cottus aleuticus pop. 1. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 13, 2026).