Black Rockfish

Scorpionfishes and Rockfishes: Family Scorpaenidae Species: Sebastes melanops (Girard, 1856); from the Greek words sebastes (magnificent), melas (black), and ops (face). Alternate Names: Commonly called black bass, bass rockfish or black snapper; also confused with and called blue rockfish; sometimes called bluefish, Columbia River rockfish,…

Shiner Perch

Surfperches: Family Embiotocidae Species: Cymatogaster aggregata (Gibbons, 1854); from the Greek root words cymo (foetus or fetus) and gastro (belly) and the Latin word aggregatus (crowded together, referring to the schooling nature of the fish). Family Embiotocidae, subfamily Embiotocinae. Alternate Names: Commonly called shiner; also…

Dwarfperch

Surfperches: Family Embiotocidae Species: Micrometrus minimus (Gibbons, 1854); from the Greek words mikros (small) and metr (having a womb), and the Latin word minim (smallest). Family Embiotocidae, subfamily Embiotocinae. Alternate Names: None that I have heard, although I have seen them mistakenly called shinerperch. In…

Sand Sole

Righteye Flounders: Family Pleuronectidae Species: Psettichthys melanostictus (Girard, 1854); from the Greek words psetta (flounder), ichthys (fish), melas (black) and stictos (specks). Alternate Names: Halibut, sand flounder, spotted flounder, fringe sole or fringe flounder. Identification: Sand sole are in the right-eye flounder family. Most easily…

Yellowfin Goby

Gobies: Family Gobiidae Species: Acanthogobius flavimanus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1845). Alternate Names: Japanese river goby (Former USSR), Mahaze (Japan), Spotted goby (Viet Nam), Yaponskii rechnoi bychok (Former USSR). Called gobio extranjero in Mexico. Identification: Typical goby shape. Color varies, generally brown but can be light…

Chameleon Goby

Gobies: Family Gobiidae Species: Tridentiger trigonocephalus   (Gill, 1859). Alternate Names: Striped goby, trident goby and specklefaced goby, Japanese goby, striped tripletooth goby (Russian Federation), polosatyi trekhzubyi bychok (Russian Federation), shimahaze (Japan). Identification: Fat with a wide, flat head; typical goby shape. The coloring is generally…

Longjaw Goby

Gobies: Family Gobiidae Species: Gillichthys mirabilis (Cooper, 1864); from the word gillichthys (gill fish, named in honor of the 19th Century American ichthyologist Theodore Gill) and the Latin word mirabilis (wonderful). Alternate Names: Mudsucker. Called chupalodo grande or gobio in Mexico. Identification: Typical goby shape…

Blackeye Goby

Gobies: Family Gobiidae Species: Coryphoterus nicholsii (Bean, 1882); from the Greek roots coryphos (head on summit, crest on head) and pteros (fin reaching the dorsal fin) and nicholsii (from captain H.E. Nichols, U.S.N., its discoverer). Some sources use Rhinogobiops nicholsii. Alternate Names: Goby, onespot goby,…

Largemouth Blenny

Benny: Family Labrisomidae Species: Labrisomus xanti (Gill, 1860); from the Greek words labrax (a fish) and soma (body). xanti = ? Alternate Names: Rock blenny. Commonly found in Mexico; Spanish names include Blenia Bocona, Chalapo, Curiche, and Trambollo Identification: “Largemouth Blennies have shortened elongated robust…

Topsmelt

Silversides: Family Atherinidae Species: Atherinops affinis (Ayres, 1860); from the Greek words ather (a spike or arrow) and ops (like), and the Latin affinis (related to an associated species). Alternate Names: Smelt, bay smelt, rainbow smelt, least smelt, little smelt, silverside, capron, pescadillo, Panzarotto. Called…