E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Wildlife of British Columbia

Pholis ornata (Girard, 1854)
Saddleback Gunnel
Family: Pholidae

Source: Distribution of Pholis ornata as compiled by Aquamaps

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Species Information

Dorsal spines (total): 74 - 79; Dorsal soft rays (total): 0; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 35 - 38. Caudal rounded. Pelvic fins minute.

Source: FishBase. Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H Hammann. 1983 . (Ref. 2850)

Biology

Species Biology

Found in inshore areas, on mud bottoms among eelgrass and seaweed (Ref. 2850). Feeds on small mollusks and crustaceans (Ref. 2850). Both male and female guard egg mass (Ref. 2850). Environment: demersal; marine; depth range 0 - 50 m (Ref. 56557). Climate: temperate; 51°N -

Source: FishBase. Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H Hammann. 1983 . (Ref. 2850)

Distribution

Eastern Pacific: southern British Columbia to central California, USA. Authors giving range up to northwestern Pacific classify Pholis nea Peden & Hughes, 1984 as a synonym of Pholis ornata.

Source: FishBase. Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H Hammann. 1983 . (Ref. 2850)

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	SNR	No Status	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer--the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Genetic and lineage information (NCBI Taxonomy Browser)

Additional Range and Status Information Links

NatureServe Explorer
University of Alaska Museum

Additional Photo Sources

Flickr Image Search
Google Image Search
Images from Calphoto

Related Databases

fishbase

General References

FishBase References
Google Scholar Search

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2021. E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Fauna of British Columbia [efauna.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2026-03-08 10:06:47 AM]

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