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Cebidichthys violaceus (Girard, 1854)

Monkeyface prickleback
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Cebidichthys violaceus   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Cebidichthys violaceus (Monkeyface prickleback)
Cebidichthys violaceus
Picture by Lavan, J.

United States (contiguous states) country information

Common names: Monkey-face eel, Monkeyface prickleback
Occurrence: native
Salinity: marine
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: subsistence fisheries | Ref: Love, R.M., 1991
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: gamefish: yes;
Comments: From central California northward, monkeyfaces, along with other eel-shaped fishes, are commonly caught by rocky shore sport fishermen. Many (perhaps most) are taken by "poke poling" (Ref. 43439).
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
National Fisheries Authority: http://www.nmfs.gov
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H. Hammann, 1983
National Database:

Common names from other countries

Abrojo cara de mono, Pärdikvingerlane, Monkey-face eel, ... more

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Perciformes/Zoarcoidei (Eelpouts and pricklebacks) > Cebidichthyidae (Monkeyfaces)
Etymology: Cebidichthys: Latin, cebus, cebi, derived from caput- itis= head + Greek, ichthys = fish;  violaceus: Cebidichthys comes from 2 Greek words: sapajou (a kind of monkey) and fish (hence, monkey fish); violaceus is Latin for violet (Ref. 43439).
  More on author: Girard.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; demersal; non-migratory (Ref. 43439); depth range 0 - 24 m (Ref. 51666), usually 0 - 1 m (Ref. 43439).   Subtropical; 46°N - 27°N, 126°W - 113°W

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Eastern Pacific: southern Oregon, USA to northern central Baja California, Mexico; rare south of Point Conception, California, USA.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm 40.6, range 36 - 45.72 cm
Max length : 76.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2850); max. reported age: 18 years (Ref. 43439)

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Common inshore, in tide pools or shallow rocky areas, from the intertidal zone to 24 m depth. May remain out of water under rocks or seaweed (Ref. 31184). Feeds mainly on crustaceans and algae. Breathes air (Ref. 31184) and can remain out of water for 15-35 hours if kept moist (Ref. 51276). Demersal spawners in nearshore habitats (Ref. 56049). Oviparous (Ref. 205). Commonly caught by 'poke-poling', a method using a long bamboo pole with a very short wire leader and baited hook. Good eating.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Oviparous (Ref. 205). Nests in crevices (Ref. 205). A parent coils about the eggs (Ref. 205).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H. Hammann, 1983. A field guide to Pacific coast fishes of North America. Boston (MA, USA): Houghton Mifflin Company. xii+336 p. (Ref. 2850)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Not Evaluated 

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless




Human uses

Fisheries: subsistence fisheries; gamefish: yes; aquarium: commercial
FAO(Publication : search) | FishSource |

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Internet sources

Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | Faunafri | Fishtrace | GenBank(genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | GOBASE | | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Scirus | SeaLifeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia(Go, Search) | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 12.2 - 19, mean 15.9 (based on 70 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 1.0000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00389 (0.00180 - 0.00842), b=3.12 (2.94 - 3.30), in cm Total Length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  2.3   ±0.2 se; based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=4; tmax=18; Fec = 18,000).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Moderate to high vulnerability (54 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Unknown.