Monkeyface Prickleback

Cebidichthys violaceus

Photo contributed by: Daniel W. Gotshall To email him click here.

In-depth Information Regarding this Species

U.S. Range in the Pacific Ocean	Southern Oregon to Baja (Love 1996, Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Habitat	Crevices and caves in upper intertidal (Love 1996) Common Inshore, tidepools, rocky areas (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Depth range (meters)	Down to 24 (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Behavior	Moves only 4.6 meters from shelter (Love 1996) Bottom-dwelling (Burgess et al. 1990)
Average Maximum Overall Length (cm)	76.2 (Largest intertidal fish in the Eastern Pacific) (Love 1996, Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Overall Length to Age Ratio (cm/age in years)	30.5/3 61.0/15 (Love 1996)
Overall Maximum Age (years)	18 (Love 1996)
Overall Growth Rate	Same for males and females for first 8 years (Love 1996)
Overall Age at Maturity (years)	4 (few mature) 7 (all mature) (Love 1996)
Overall Length at Maturity (cm)	35.6 (few mature) 45.7 (all mature) (Love 1996)
Fecundity	18,000 (for 40.6 cm female) 46,000 (for 61.0 cm female) (Love 1996)
Time of Year of Spawning	January–April (Love 1996)
Juvenile Food Preference	5.1–7.6 cm individuals eat algae (red and green) (Love 1996)
Adult Food Preference	Amphipods, Worms, Clam siphons, and Algae (Love 1996) Algae, Crustaceans (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Market	"Good eating" (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983)
Ornamental Market	Possible (Love 1996) In aquarium guide (Burgess et al. 1990)
Additional Remarks	Can breathe air and remain out of water (Large individuals can stay out for up to 35 hours) (Love 1996) Difficult to raise (Burgess et al. 1990)

Recent Wild Harvest Data for Oregon
Data from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Year	Total Catch (Pounds)	Ex-vessel Value ( U.S. Dollars)
1989	0	0
1990	0	0
1991	0	0
1992	0	0
1993	0	0
1994	0	0
1995	4	16
1996	0	0
1997	0	0
1998	0	0

© 2003 Stephen Sempier