Teleostei (teleosts) >
Perciformes/Zoarcoidei (Eelpouts and pricklebacks) >
Stichaeidae (Pricklebacks) > Xiphisterinae
Etymology: Anoplarchus: Greek, ana = up + Greek, oplon = shield + Greek, archos = anus (Ref. 45335).
More on authors: Gilbert & Burke.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; depth range 1 - 30 m (Ref. 2850). Temperate
Eastern Pacific: Aleutian Islands, Alaska to Arena Cove, Mendocino County, northern California, USA.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 12.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2850)
Dorsal spines (total): 57 - 64; Dorsal soft rays (total): 0; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 40 - 46; Vertebrae: 62 - 68. Dorsal well notched but joined to caudal; caudal rounded; pectorals bluntly pointed (Ref. 6885). Dark, or with a broken or variegated dark and light patterns usually with dark and light bars accentuating each other across jaw; frequently dark markings near anterior portion of dorsal fin and on the posterior margin of each gill cover; rarely individuals partly or completely bright red (Ref. 6885).
Facultative air-breathing (Ref. 126274); Prefers subtidal areas among rocks (Ref. 2850) and algae to depths of 30 meters (Ref. 51666).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
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: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: public aquariums
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