Hexagrammos decagrammus (Pallas, 1810)
Kelp greenling
Hexagrammos decagrammus
photo by Nichols, J.

Family:  Hexagrammidae (Greenlings), subfamily: Hexagramminae
Max. size:  61 cm TL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 2,100.0 g; max. reported age: 18 years
Environment:  demersal; marine; depth range - 46 m
Distribution:  Eastern Pacific: Amchitka Island, in the Aleutian chain (Ref. 27436) to La Jolla, southern California, USA.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 21-22; Dorsal soft rays (total): 24-24; Anal spines: 1-1; Anal soft rays: 23-24. Caudal broadly rounded or truncate.
Biology:  Occurs in rocky inshore areas, common on kelp beds, also on sand bottoms (Ref. 2850). Feeds on crustaceans, polychaete worms, brittle stars, mollusks, and small fishes (Ref. 28499). Young are food of steelheads and salmon (Ref. 6885). Frequently caught by shore and skiff fishers and speared by divers (Ref. 2850).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 02 December 2019 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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