Mottled Sculpin aka Muddler Minnow

[Carl Brune]

I remember someone asking about the Mottled Sculpin (Cottus bairdi) a while back. I turned one up today -- salamander hunting bycatch -- and took a couple pics:



They get at least 50% larger than this one. It turns out these are pretty rare in southeast Ohio, I suspect due to a lack of cold water. This one was found in a tiny headwater stream, at the bottom of a steep-walled ravine.

In late April last year, I found some of their eggs, laid on the bottom of a submerged rock:


Here's a couple of amphibians seen today (can't resist), near where the sculpin was found:


Pseudotriton ruber


Gyrinophilus porphyriticus

[Andy Avram]

One of my favorite fish to find. They are supposed to be in my corner of the state but I have yet to find one here. As for SE Ohio, there are large populations from Hocking County south along the glacial boundary.

Nice salamanders by the way, I have failed to find an adult Red this year, but plenty of larvae.

Andy