About Sebastes nigrocinctus Ayres, 1859
Body and Mouth Morphology
The tiger rockfish, Sebastes nigrocinctus, is a large, heavy-bodied rockfish species with a large mouth.
Fin Spine and Ray Counts
Its dorsal fin has 13 robust spines and 13 to 15 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 6 or 7 soft rays.
Head Spination
It has robust spines on its head: the nasal, preocular, supraocular, postocular, tympanic, coronal, parietal, and nuchal spines.
Head and Caudal Fin Features
The space between its eyes is very depressed, and the parietal ridges are very wide and rough; its caudal fin is rounded.
Size and Weight
This species reaches a maximum total length of 61 cm (24 in) and a maximum published weight of 2.2 kg (4.9 lb).
Body Bar Coloration
Most individuals have five vertical body bars, which range in color from red to purple, brown, and black, over a pink to white background.
Head Bar Variation
Two additional bars radiate rearward from the eyes, and a small number of individuals have their rearmost pair of bars merged.
Juvenile Fin Coloration
In younger fish, the tips of the pelvic and anal fins are dark.
Geographic Range
Tiger rockfish are found in the eastern Pacific Ocean along the western coast of North America, ranging from Cape Resurrection on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula to Point Buchon on California's central coast.
Habitat and Depth Range
They inhabit reef environments at depths between 10 and 275 m (33 and 902 ft), and can be found on rock reefs and within kelp forests.
