Pacific Spiny Lumpsuckers

Eumicrotremus orbis

Pacific Spiny Lumpsuckers

Eumicrotremus orbis

Other Common Names
Cutie patooties, Pacific spiny lumpfish

Rocky Coast

Other Common Names

Cutie patooties, Pacific spiny lumpfish

At the Aquarium

Rocky Coast

Appearance

These fish are almost spherical in shape, have a squarish dorsal fin, a rounded caudal fin, and thin, transparent pectoral fins. Their stomach has a fringed suction disk, which evolved from their pelvic fins. They have a wide mouth with large, flat lips and protruding eyes. Adult females tend to be pale green in color while males tend to be a dull orange to reddish brown. They lack scales; instead their body is covered in plate-like, cone-shaped protuberances that contain spiny growths called tubercles. Females have more and larger tubercles than males.

Habitat

Found to depths of 480 feet in a wide range of habitats where they are usually attached to solid objects with their suction cup, including sandy or pebbly substrates, eelgrass beds, rocky areas with kelp, and shallow bays

Diet

Worms, crustaceans, and mollusks

Life History

Males arrive in shallow waters before females to stake out nests. Females lay an average of 202 large, orange eggs in sheltered rock crevices between July and October. A male guards the eggs for 3-8 weeks, aerating them with his fins. The eggs hatch well-developed juveniles. Can reach a maximum length of 6.4 inches.

IUCN Status

Least Concern

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

The predators of spiny lumpsuckers include arrowtooth flounder, great sculpins, longnose lancetfish, Pacific cod, Pacific halibut, yelloweye rockfish, common murres, and tufted puffins.

Eastern Pacific: Alaska to Washington, Western Pacific: Asian mainland and northern islands of Japan, North Atlantic

These fish are rarely sighted on the Oregon Coast, as they typically reside offshore of northern Washington State to the Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea, and westward to Japan.

Pacific spiny lumpsuckers are not strong swimmers. Unlike most fish, they lack a swim bladder and have tiny fins. They do have a buoyant, subcutaneous jelly deposit that contributes to a low body density. These fish are a favorite of Aquarium guests and scuba divers thanks to their gawky movements and behaviors.

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Citations & Other Resources

Aquarium of the Pacific

California Academy of Sciences

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Love, Milton S. Certainly more than you want to know about the fishes of the Pacific Coast: a postmodern experience. Really Big Press: Santa Barbara. 2011. 649 pp. ISBN 978-0-9628725-6-3.

The Marine Detective Blog

VicHigh Marine

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Pacific Spiny Lumpsuckers

Pacific Spiny Lumpsuckers

Other Common Names

At the Aquarium

Appearance

Habitat

Diet

Life History

IUCN Status

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

Citations & Other Resources

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