FAMILY COTTIDAE 251 



The dorsal fin has 8 spines and 18 rays, the anal fin 15 soft rays, and 

 the ventral fin 1 spine and 3 soft rays. There are 4 short spines on the 

 preopercle. This species reaches a length of about 3 inches. 



The deepwater sculpin lives only at great depths in the Great Lakes 

 and in the streams of Arctic Canada. Jordan (1929) regarded it as a 

 rare relic of a marine group. Greene reported one record from deep 

 waters of Lake Superior off the Wisconsin shore. There are specimens 

 in the University of Minnesota collections, which were caught in nets 

 at a depth of 600 feet in Lake Superior off Grand Marais. Many were 

 also secured from stomachs of siscowets. 



GENUS Cottiis (Artedi) Linnaeus 



The members of this genus are widespread in cold streams and lakes 

 of the Northern Hemisphere. Although many species have been de- 

 scribed, many of them are probably only subspecies. 



SPOONHEAD MUDDLER 



Cottus ricei Nelson 



The spoonhead muddler has a stout body with a large, flat head and a 

 tapering tail. The skin is very prickly. It is olivaceous in color and 

 finely speckled. The dorsal fin has 8 spines and 17 soft rays; the anal 

 fin has 12 soft rays. This species reaches a length of nearly 3 inches. 



This fish can be distinguished from the other local muddlers, Cottus, 

 which it closely resembles, by the complete lateral line. It is distributed 

 from Hudson Bay to the Great Lakes. Although it has never been col- 

 lected in Minnesota waters it probably occurs in the deep waters of 

 Lake Superior. It has been found off Isle Royale (Hubbs and Lagler. 

 1941) . Greene (1935) reported it from Lake Michigan and stated that 

 it lives in somewhat shallower waters than Triglopsis. 



NORTHERN MUDDLER (Miller's-Thumb, Blob, 

 Common Sculpin) 



Cottus bairdii bairdii Girard 



The general color of the northern muddler (Figure 52) is a mottled 

 dark brown or grayish, somewhat lighter below. The body is rather 

 stout and tapers toward the tail fin. The head is large, much flattened 

 above, and wide through the opercular region. The preopercle has a 

 sharp, short spine, which is directed backward and upward; the sub- 

 opercle has a spine that is directed forward. The skin is smooth except 

 just behind the pectoral fins, where it is often covered with sharp 

 prickles. The lateral line is present. The first dorsal fin is low and weak; 

 the pectorals are very large and are about equal to the head in length. 

 The head is contained 3.3 times in the length, the depth 4 to 6 times. 

 The dorsal fin has 6 to 8 spines and 16 to 17 soft rays. The anal fin has 



