DIVE DRY WITH DR. BILL #833: A GOOD PAINT JOB

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drbill

The Lorax for the Kelp Forest
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Rest in Peace
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Location
Santa Catalina Island, CA
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DIVE DRY WITH DR. BILL #833: A GOOD PAINT JOB

Several years ago our local Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Bureau had local businesses and organizations decorate bald eagle and bison statues that were placed around town. The paint jobs done on them were often real works of art. Some can still be seen in local businesses. My elementary school art teacher, Blance Brcyn, said I had artistic talent but it was nothing to compare with some of these masterpieces!

Mother Nature has unlimited skill when it comes to coloration. Some species may be drab as a means of camouflaging themselves from predators, but many others are brightly colored especially in warmer waters. Even in our cooler temperate waters we have species that are beautifully "painted" such as the blue-banded goby and the scythe butterflyfish.

One such critter is the painted greenling (Oxylebius pictus). This fish is found from the northern Gulf of Alaska to central Baja California. One source states they are observed down to about 160 ft. In our waters I usually see them at deeper dive sites such as Ship Rock or Farnsworth Banks, but occasionally they appear in the much shallower waters in our dive park.

These fish are relatively small, reaching a maximum size of about 10 inches. They have a pointed snout and 5-7 dark bands along their body. These may be red to brown in color. I was amused to read that Dr. Milton Love and others used to call them convict fish due to the "stripes." Of course I'm often amused by Milton's comments on our fish in his very comprehensive guide to them!

This species, especially the juveniles, is often found in association with the sea anemone Urticina lofotensis, a fish-eating species in northern waters. Apparently the greenling is immune to the stinging cells of this cnidarian, but other fish are not. According to FishBase.com the greenling will sleep on the anemone's disk at night, then go out at daybreak to forage on crustaceans, polychaetes, small mollusks and bryozoans. In turn cormorants, cabezon and rockfish consume them.

During their winter courtship and mating, males will turn a very dark reddish-brown to nearly black with many light colored spots. I have observed courtship in this species at Ship Rock and Farnsworth Bank. Males establish spawning territory, apparently throughout the year with a peak in winter and spring. The dark male approaches the lighter female and does a little fish "dance" in front of her. Successful males make sure not to step on the lady's toes... er, fins! However, it apparently is the lady who does the mate selection. According to Milton, she often chooses a smaller (younger) male. Sigh, the story of my love life too!

If successful, the female lays a cluster of orange eggs trhat may number as many as 5,000. She may spawn several times during season. Males guard the eggs, sometimes overseeing the clusters from several different females. Egg predators include rockfish and sculpins, and the male painted greenling may gobble up a few as well. Upon hatching, the larvae enter the plankton and eventually settle out at about an inch in length. They may live for eight years. I think that is 72 in painted greenling years!

© 2019 Dr. Bill Bushing. For the entire archived set of over 800 "Dive Dry" columns, visit my website Star Thrower Educational Multimedia (S.T.E.M.) Home Page

Image caption: Painted bison in Avalon and the varying colors of the painted greenling including a male in mating "paint" (lower right).

DDDB 833 painted greenling sm.jpg
 
I really appreciate your regular posts on marine biology. It’s like a Discovery magazine subscription, but without the ads for hearing aids, watches, jewelry, spring shoes, and human pheromones.
 
We've been spotting small juveniles, about two inches long around Palos Verdes lately. They don't pose as well as other fish, but when they do, they make a nice model.
Halfway Reef_D3X1681.jpg


Oxylebius pictus, Painted Greenling.jpg
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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