# Pygmy rockfish

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The **pygmy rockfish** (***Sebastes wilsoni***), also known as the **slender rockfish** or **Wilson's rockfish**, is a [species](/source/Species) of marine [ray-finned fish](/source/Ray-finned_fish) belonging to the subfamily [Sebastinae](/source/Sebastinae), the rockfishes, part of the [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) [Scorpaenidae](/source/Scorpaenidae). It is found in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

## Taxonomy

The pygmy rockfish was first formally [described](/source/Species_description) as *Sebastodes wilsoni* in 1915 by the American [ichthyologist](/source/Ichthyology) [Charles Henry Gilbert](/source/Charles_Henry_Gilbert) with the [type locality](/source/Type_locality_(biology)) given as Albatross station 4518 at a depth of 66-140 fathoms off [Monterey, California](/source/Monterey,_California).[1] Some authorities classify this species in the [subgenus](/source/Subgenus) *Allosebastes*.[2] The [specific name](/source/Specific_name_(zoology)) honors [Charles Branch Wilson](/source/Charles_Branch_Wilson), a [marine biologist](/source/Marine_biology) and authority on [crustacean](/source/Crustacean) [parasites](/source/Parasitism) of fishes.[3]

## Description

The pygmy rockfish, as its name suggests, is a small species of rockfish which grows to a maximum [total length](/source/Fish_measurement) of 23 cm (9.1 in). The [dorsal fin](/source/Dorsal_fin) has 13 spines and 13 or 14 soft rays while the [anal fin](/source/Fish_fin) contains 3 spines and 6 or 7 soft rays. There are robust spines on the head and the nasal, preocular, postocular, tympanic and parietal spines are present while the supraocular, coronal, and nuchal spines are absent. The [caudal fin](/source/Fish_fin) is truncate or weakly rounded.[4] The color is pale brown tinted with red, paler below. There are 4 dark blotches along the dorsal fin and these extend from the back onto the fin, these can be indistinct. There is a brownish red stripe along the [lateral line](/source/Lateral_line). The color is notably darker on the back than on the underside.[5]

## Distribution and habitat

The pygmy rockfish is found in the Eastern Pacific Ocean along the western coast of North America from [Kodiak Island](/source/Kodiak_Island) and the Northern [Gulf of Alaska](/source/Gulf_of_Alaska) to [Baja California](/source/Baja_California). It is a [demersal fish](/source/Demersal_fish) which is found at depths between 30 and 274 m (98 and 899 ft).[4] It is found offshore in rocky areas.[6]

## Biology

The pygmy rockfish, like other [rockfish](/source/Sebastes) in its genus, is [ovoviviparous](/source/Ovoviviparity).[4]

## References

1. Z. Li; A.K. Gray; M.S. Love; A. Goto; A.J. Gharrett (2007). ["Are the Subgenera of *Sebastes* Monophyletic?"](https://lovelab.msi.ucsb.edu/Li%20et%20al.%202007.pdf). *Biology, Assessment, and Management of North Pacific Rockfishes*. Alaska Sea Grant College Program.

1. Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara (eds.) (22 May 2021). ["Order Perciformes (Part 8): Suborder Scorpaenoidei: Families Sebastidae, Setarchidae and Neosebastidae"](https://etyfish.org/perciformes8/). *The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database*. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 18 December 2021.

1. ["Finfish Species Rockfish in Oregon"](https://www.dfw.state.or.us/mrp/finfish/sp/rockfish.asp). [Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife](/source/Oregon_Department_of_Fish_and_Wildlife). Retrieved 18 December 2021.

1. Richard Starr & Mary Yoklavich (2008). ["Monitoring MPAs in Deep Water Off Central California"](https://caseagrant.ucsd.edu/sites/default/files/R_MPA-3%20Starr-Yoklavich.pdf). California Sea Grant College Program. Retrieved 18 December 2021.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pygmy rockfish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy_rockfish) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy_rockfish?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.