View source for Blob sculpin

{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Psychrolutes phrictus 1.jpg
| taxon = Psychrolutes phrictus
| authority  = [[David Leslie Stein|Stein]] & [[Carl Eldon Bond|C. E. Bond]], 1978<ref name=WoRMS>{{cite WoRMS |author=Bailly, Nicolas |year=2015 |title=''Psychrolutes phrictus'' Stein & Bond, 1978 |id=274678 |accessdate=22 February 2017 }}</ref>
}}

The '''blob fish''' ('''''Psychrolutes phrictus''''') is a species of deep-sea fish of the family [[Psychrolutidae]]. It feeds mainly on [[crustacean]]s, [[mollusc]]s, and [[sea pen]]s.

It lives off the [[continental shelf|continental shelves]] in very deep water (839–2800&nbsp;m) in the [[Pacific Ocean|North Pacific Ocean]] by the coasts of [[Japan]], the [[Bering Sea]], and [[California]]. When the female lays eggs the adult fish guard the nest.

==Description==
Maximum length is {{convert|70|cm|in|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name=EOL/> The head is broad and flattened, the eyes are large and widely separated, and the mouth is curved with fleshy lips. There is no spine in front of the [[Operculum (fish)|operculum]] (the bony flap that covers the gills), the [[Glossary of ichthyology#B|branchiostegal membranes]] are fused to the isthmus (the fleshy projection separating the gill openings), and there are many small [[Cirrus (biology)|cirri]] (fleshy threads) scattered over the head and body. The operculum is poorly ossified and is covered by a gelatinous layer. Behind the head, the body tapers rapidly to the caudal peduncle and there is a gelatinous layer between the skin and the muscle. The dorsal fin has eight spines and nineteen to twenty soft rays, and the anal fin has no spines and twelve to fourteen soft rays. The pectoral fins are broad and in larger individuals, have fleshy pads near their tips. The upper parts of this fish are grey or black and the underparts pale, with some indistinct mottling.<ref name=EOL>{{cite web |url=http://eol.org/pages/222708/details |title=''Psychrolutes phrictus'': blob sculpin |work=Encyclopedia of Life |accessdate=22 February 2017}}</ref><ref name=Stein>{{cite journal |author=Stein, D.L. |author2=Bond, C.E. |year=1978 |title=A New Deep-sea Fish from the Eastern North Pacific, ''Psychrolutes phrictus'' (Pisces, Cottidae (Psychrolutinae)) |journal=Contributions in Science |url=http://www.nhm.org/site/sites/default/files/pdf/contrib_science/CS296.pdf |access-date=2017-02-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629111722/http://www.nhm.org/site/sites/default/files/pdf/contrib_science/CS296.pdf |archive-date=2016-06-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
It has 8 spines.

==Distribution==
The blob sculpin is native to the northeastern Pacific Ocean where it is found on or near the seabed at depths from {{convert|500|to|2800|m|ft|-2|abbr=on}}.<ref name=FishBase>{{cite web |url=http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Psychrolutes-phrictus.html |title=''Psychrolutes phrictus'' Stein & Bond, 1978 |work=FishBase |accessdate=22 February 2017}}</ref> The bottom water temperatures in the area averaged around 2.4°C (36.3°F). For most of the egg nests observed, adult fish were keeping close vigil nearby, frequently positioned right on top of or directly touching the eggs, usually within 3 meters of the nest.<ref name=Drazon>{{cite journal |author= Drazen, Jeffrey C. |author2= Goffredi, Shana K. |author3= Schlining,  Brian |author4= Stakes, Debra S. |year=2003 |title=Aggregations of Egg-Brooding Deep-Sea Fish and Cephalopods on the Gorda Escarpment: a Reproductive Hot Spot |journal=Biological Bulletin |volume=205 |issue=1 |pages=1–7 |doi=10.2307/1543439 }}</ref>

==Ecology==
Aggregations of blob sculpins have been observed by using a [[remotely operated underwater vehicle]]. The fish were at depths between {{convert|1300|and|3000|m|ft|-2|abbr=on}} on the [[Gorda Escarpment]] off the coast of California. They spawn [https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-010-0200-4 adhesive eggs] onto limestone-like rocks in the deep sea, and are known to brood large pinkish eggs in nests, actually lying on the eggs or in contact with them in many instances. The collected eggs measured an impressive 40 mm in length. However, numerous eggs began hatching prematurely upon being sampled, with the emerging juvenile organisms still retaining remnants of the egg casing surrounding them.<ref name=Drazon>{{cite journal |author= Drazen, Jeffrey C. |author2= Goffredi, Shana K. |author3= Schlining,  Brian |author4= Stakes, Debra S. |year=2003 |title=Aggregations of Egg-Brooding Deep-Sea Fish and Cephalopods on the Gorda Escarpment: a Reproductive Hot Spot |journal=Biological Bulletin |volume=205 |issue=1 |pages=1–7 |doi=10.2307/1543439 }}</ref> The eggs were free of sediment which makes it likely the adults were actively fanning them, the first known example of parental care in egg-laying deep sea fishes.<ref name=Drazon/> Scattered around and among the sculpins were octopuses in the genus ''[[Graneledone]]'', also brooding their eggs. About half the octopuses were within 5 metres of an adult or breeding sculpin. At one site, 84 sculpins and 64 nests were observed as well as numerous brooding octopuses; the researchers described it as a "reproductive hot spot".<ref name=Cole>{{cite book|author=Cole, Kathleen Sabina|title=Reproduction and Sexuality in Marine Fishes: Patterns and Processes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_4xZ_QoYNSwC&pg=PA70 |year=2010 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-26433-5 |pages=70–71}}</ref><ref name=Drazon>{{cite journal |author= Drazen, Jeffrey C. |author2= Goffredi, Shana K. |author3= Schlining,  Brian |author4= Stakes, Debra S. |year=2003 |title=Aggregations of Egg-Brooding Deep-Sea Fish and Cephalopods on the Gorda Escarpment: a Reproductive Hot Spot |journal=Biological Bulletin |volume=205 |issue=1 |pages=1–7 |doi=10.2307/1543439 }}</ref>

The diet of this fish consists mainly of such invertebrates as [[sea pen]]s, [[crustacean]]s and [[Gastropoda|gastropod molluscs]].<ref name=EOL/> Other items consumed include [[cephalopod]]s, [[crinoid]]s, [[sea cucumber]]s and fish. Some of the species of fish are [[Pelagic fish|pelagic]] but researchers think they must have been swimming close to the seabed when consumed because the morphology of the blob sculpin is typical of a bottom dwelling fish.<ref name=Stein/> It is the [[Host (biology)|host]] of [[Parasitism|skin parasites]] such as the [[copepod]]s ''[[Chondracanthus yanezi]]'' and ''[[Neobrachiella amphipacifica]]''.<ref name=WoRMS/>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

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[[Category:Psychrolutes|Blob sculpin]]
[[Category:Fish described in 1978]]