{{Short description|Species of fish}} {{Speciesbox | image = Gopher rockfish.jpg | image_caption = At the Monterey Bay Aquarium | taxon = Sebastes carnatus | authority = (D. S. Jordan & C. H. Gilbert, 1880) | synonyms = * ''Sebastichthys carnatus'' <small>Jordan & Gilbert, 1880</small> | synonyms_ref = <ref name = Fishbase>{{Fishbase|Sebastes|carnatus|month=June|year=2021}}</ref> }} thumb|A gopher rockfish resting on top of rocks The '''gopher rockfish''' ('''''Sebastes carnatus'''''), also known as the '''gopher sea perch''', is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the eastern Pacific, primarily off California.
==Taxonomy== The gopher rockfish was originally described in 1880 as ''Sebastichthys carnatus'' by the American ichthyologists David Starr Jordan and Charles Henry Gilbert with the type locality given as the Monterey Bay, California.<ref name = Coff>{{Cof genus | genus = Sebastes | access-date = 5 November 2021}}</ref> Some authorities place this species in the subgenus ''Pteropodus''. The specific name ''carnatus'' means "fleshy" or "flesh-colored", alluding to the background color of this fish.<ref name = ETYFish>{{cite web | url = https://etyfish.org/perciformes8/ | title = Order Perciformes (Part 8): Suborder Scorpaenoidei: Families Sebastidae, Setarchidae and Neosebastidae | work = The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database | editor1= Christopher Scharpf | editor2 = Kenneth J. Lazara | name-list-style = amp |date = 22 May 2021 | access-date = 5 November 2021 | publisher = Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara}}</ref>
==Description== The gopher rockfish is a deep, stout bodied fish with a steep dorsal profile.<ref name = cpf>{{cite web | url = https://www.pierfishing.com/gopher-rockfish/ | title = Gopher Rockfish | date = 26 April 2018 | access-date = 5 November 2021 | publisher = California Pier Fishing}}</ref> The body is as deep as 34% to 38% of its standard length. They have many spines on the head and body. The overall color is dark brown, black, and greenish fading to reddish brown on the belly.<ref name = MF>{{cite web | url = https://mexican-fish.com/gopher-rockfish/ | title = Gopher rockfish | date = 18 January 2015 | access-date = 5 November 2021 | publisher = Mexican Fish}}</ref> There is a row of flesh-colored or whitish spotting and blotches<ref name = cpf/> on their back reaching up to and onto the dorsal fin and irregular pale patches on their flanks. There is a dark stripe running rearwards from the eye and another on the upper jaw. The head is of average length for this genus and has a short snout with a small terminal mouth and large eyes which bulge over the dorsal profile of the head. The caudal fin is truncate.<ref name = MF/> The dorsal fin has 13 spines and 12 to 14 rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 5 to 7 soft rays. This species grows to a maximum total length of {{cvt|43|cm}} and {{Convert|2.83|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name="cpf" />
==Distribution and habitat== Gopher rockfish are found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean off the Western coast of North America. They are known from as far north as Cape Blanco in Oregon, down to Ensenada in southern Baja California. They are commonest between Northern Baja California and Northern California.<ref name = cpf/> It is a demersal species that is encountered as solitary and highly territorial individuals with nearby shelters on rock structures or within kelp forests at depths from {{cvt|12|to|50|m}}.<ref name = MF/>
==Biology and diet== The gopher rockfish is a territorial species which defends a home territory on the seabed excluding other rockfish. It is a nocturnal fish, spending the day sheltering in cavities and crevices. They leave their shelter at dusk to forage. The juveniles feed on planktonic crustaceans while the adults prey on cephalopods, gastropods, brittle stars, crabs (notably the Cancrinae family), shrimp and polychaete worms. They also eat smaller fish such as juvenile rockfish, particularly blue rockfish (''Sebastes mystinus''), sculpins, juvenile surfperch, kelpfishes, and plainfin midshipman (''Porichthys notatus'').<ref name = cpf/><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Schaaf-Da Silva |first=Jayna A. |date=2009 |title=Gopher Rockfish Status 2006 |url=https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=34406 |journal=Status of the Fisheries Report |pages= |via=CA.gov}}</ref> [[File:Drawn comparison between the Copper Rockfish (Sebastes caurinus) and the Gopher Rockfish (Sebastes carnatus).jpg|thumb|297x297px|Comparison with the similar Copper Rockfish (''Sebastes caurinus''). Notably, the posterior of the copper rockfish's lateral line is often lighter in color compared to the blotchy pattern on the gopher rockfish.]]Like other rockfish, it is a viviparous species. spawning happens from January through July, and they give birth to live young after gestation. Compared to other rockfish, gophers mature quicker, at 3-4 years of age, but the rate of maturity depends on the region. Males mature and grow faster than females.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="cpf" /> They are known to live for up to 30 years, possibly to 35, but it is rare for the fish to be older than 20.<ref name="MF" /><ref name=":0" />
== Fisheries and relation to humans == Gopher rockfish are considered of moderate importance to commercial fisheries. They are mainly caught by recreational anglers fishing from shore for other [https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Groundfish/Nearshore-Shelf-And-Slope near-shore rockfishes], and can be a relatively common catch, including from boats and kayaks.<ref name="cpf" /><ref name=":0" /> Larger fish are found in deeper waters.<ref name="cpf" /> They are considered good eating fish, and may be sold live or frozen.
==Genetics== A PCR-RFLP genetic sex marker has been identified for gopher rockfish, which can successfully distinguish males and females.<ref name="Fowler 2016">{{cite journal |doi=10.1111/mec.13594 |title=Genomic characterization of sex‐identification markers in ''Sebastes carnatus'' and ''Sebastes chrysomelas'' rockfishes |journal=Molecular Ecology |volume=25 |issue=10 |pages=2165–2175 |year=2016 |last1=Fowler|first1=Benjamin L.S. |last2=Buonaccorsi|first2=Vincent P. |pmid=26923740 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Vaux 2020">{{cite journal |doi=10.1007/s12686-020-01150-y |title=Sex identification PCR–RFLP assay tested in eight species of ''Sebastes'' rockfish |journal=Conservation Genetics Resources |volume=12 |pages=541–544 |year=2020 |last1=Vaux|first1=Felix |last2=Aycock|first2=Hannah M. |last3=Bohn|first3=Sandra |last4=Rasmuson|first4=Leif K.|last5=O'Malley|first5=Kathleen G.|issue=4 |s2cid=216609309 }}</ref> The marker potentially also works in the closely related black-and-yellow rockfish,<ref name="Fowler 2016" /><ref name="Vaux 2020" /> but it does not seem to successfully distinguish males and females in various other rockfish species.<ref name="Vaux 2020" /> Chromosome 19 has been identified as a putative sex chromosome for the species.<ref name="Sykes 2023">{{cite journal |doi=10.1111/mec.17090 | pmc=|title=Rapid turnover and evolution of sex-determining regions in Sebastes rockfishes |journal=Molecular Ecology |volume=32 |issue=18 |pages=5013-5027|year=2023|last1=Sykes|first1=Nathan T.B. |last2=Kolora|first2=Sree Rohit Raj |last3=Sudmant|first3=Peter H. |last4=Owens|first4=Gregory L. |pmid= |doi-access=free}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}} * {{ITIS |id=166767 |taxon=Sebastes carnatus |access-date=11 March 2006}} * Milton S. Love, Mary Yoklavich, Lyman K. Thorsteinson, (2002), ''The Rockfishes of the Northeast Pacific'', University of California Press, pp. 140–143 {{Commons}} * Shawn Narum, Vincent Buonaccorsi, Carol Kimbrell, and Russell Vetter. (2004). Genetic Divergence between Gopher Rockfish (''Sebastes carnatus'') and Black and Yellow Rockfish (''Sebastes chrysomelas''). ''Copeia'', 4, pp. 926–931.
{{Sebastidae}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q2717740}}
gopher rockfish Category:Taxa named by David Starr Jordan Category:Taxa named by Charles Henry Gilbert Category:Fauna of California Category:Western North American coastal fauna gopher rockfish