Fish › Pricklebacks
Black Prickleback
Xiphister atropurpureus
28 photos
Study shows up to four per card, from different observers, so you learn the species rather than one picture. Heart the good ones and swap any you do not like.
Photos you add are credited to you, and you keep the copyright.
Easily confused with
Monkey-faced PricklebackCebidichthys violaceus
Rock EelXiphister mucosus
High CockscombAnoplarchus purpurescens
Penpoint GunnelApodichthys flavidus
Crescent GunnelPholis laeta
Rockweed gunnelApodichthys fucorum
Ribbon PricklebackPhytichthys chirus
Rock GunnelPholis gunnellus
Study checks a spoken answer against these, and tells you which one you named.
Where it is recorded
| United States | 777 |
|---|---|
| California | 609 |
| Canada | 402 |
| British Columbia | 402 |
| Washington | 136 |
| Oregon | 32 |
Counts show where people looked, not only where it lives.
Traits
Physical
- AquaticLives primarily in waterFrom its classification
Classification
| Kingdom | Animals · Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordates · Chordata |
| Class | Ray-finned Fishes · Actinopterygii |
| Order | Perches, Scorpionfishes, Sticklebacks, and Allies · Perciformes |
| Family | Pricklebacks · Stichaeidae |
| Genus | Xiphister |
Sources
- Names, taxonomy and observation counts: www.inaturalist.org
- Photos and recordings: the creator and source are on each one.
- How much to rely on each source
Remember the name next time.
Practise Black Prickleback with real photos from different observers. Say the name out loud, and it comes back just before you would forget it.