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

Sebastes maliger (Jordan & Gilbert, 1880)
Quillback Rockfish
Family: Scorpaenidae

Source: Distribution of Sebastes maliger as compiled by Aquamaps

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Species Information

Dorsal spines (total): 13; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12 - 14; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 6 - 7. Head spines strong - nasal, preocular, postocular, tympanic and parietal spines present, supraocular, coronal and nuchal spines absent (Ref. 27437). Spinous dorsal with deeply incised membranes (Ref. 27437). Caudal fin rounded (Ref. 6885). Body mottled brown, distinct yellow areas above (including part of spinous dorsal), orange-brown spotting on lower anterior area (Ref. 27437).

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

Biology

Species Biology

Inhabit rocky bottoms and reefs, usually solitary on the bottom or hovering just above the bottom, but never far from cover (Ref. 27436, 27437). Viviparous (Ref. 34817). Environment: demersal; marine; depth range 0 - 274 m (Ref. 27437), usually 0 - 92 m (Ref. 27437) Climate: temperate; 61°N – 36°N

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

Distribution

Eastern Pacific: Prince William Sound, Gulf of Alaska to Point Sur, central California, USA.

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	T (Nov 2009)

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: 2025-06-23 11:09:02 AM]

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