Greenlings Common to the Waters off Washington State

Kelp Greenling - Male Hexagrammos decagrammus © 2008 Janna Nichols Kelp Greenling - Female Hexagrammos decagrammus © 2008 Janna Nichols Kelp Greenling Hexagrammos decagrammus Typically caught by recreational fishers. Recreational Harvest Chart Description: Female freckled all over with small reddish brown to golden spots on gray to brownish background; fins mostly yellowish orange. Male gray to brownish olive, with irregular blue spots on front of body; each spot surrounded by ring of small reddish brown spots. Inside of mouth yellowish. Often an ocellus (an eyelike, pigmented spot) at end of soft dorsal fin. 5 lateral lines, 2 cirri: 1st cirrus above eye; 2nd one tiny, midway between eye and dorsal fin. Anal fin usually has 1 weak spine. Size: To 53 cm (21 inches) Range/Habitat: Aleutian Islands to La Jolla, California; rare in southern California, but common northward. Rocky inshore areas; common in kelp beds, also on sand bottom; to 150 feet (46 meters). Source: Pacific Coast Fishes Peterson’s Field Guide Eschmeyer/Herald/Hammann 1983

Painted Greenling Oxylebius pictus © 2008 Janna Nichols Painted Greenling Oxylebius pictus Caught by recreational fishers, but not common in coastal waters. Description: 5 – 7 red or eddish brown bars on body, extending onto fins. 1 lateral line. 2 cirri; 1st one above eye, 2nd one midway from eye to dorsal fin. 3 – 4 spines in anal fin. Snout pointed. Background color varies: usually grayish to brown, but occasionally quite dark; sometimes white-spotted. Throat usually dark-spotted. 3 dark bands radiate from eye (1 forward, 2 backward). Dark spots on caudal, pectoral, and pelvic fins. Size: To 15 cm (6 inches) Range/Habitat: Kodiak Island to north central Baja; rare north of Washington. Rocky areas; intertidal to 160 feet (49 m). Source: Pacific Coast Fishes Peterson’s Field Guide Eschmeyer/Herald/Hammann 1983

Rock Greenling Hexagrammos lagocephalus Rock Greenling Hexagrammos lagocephalus Typically caught by recreational fishers. Description: 5 lateral lines. A large cirrus above eye. Color varies: usually greenish to brown with darker mottling, but most large males usually have red blotches on side. Inside of mouth usually bluish. Dark bars or blotches on fins. Size: To 61 cm (2 feet) Range/Habitat: Bering Sea to Point Conception; uncommon in southern California. Common in shallow rocky areas, especially on exposed coasts. Source: Pacific Coast Fishes Peterson’s Field Guide Eschmeyer/Herald/Hammann 1983

Whitespotted Greenling Hexagrammos stelleri Caught by recreational fishers, but not common in coastal waters. Description: Conspicuous white spots on body and head. 5 lateral lines, but 4th one very short. 1st lateral line also short, inconspicuous – ends before middle of dorsal fin. A cirrus above the eye. Light brown green, often tinged with red; dark bars or blotches. Anal fin yellowish; otherfins with dark streaks or rows of blotches. Anal fin yellowish; other fins with dark streaks or rows of dark spots. Size: To 48 cm (19 inches) Range/Habitat: Japan to Puget Sound. Inshore, near rocks, polings, eelgrass beds; to about 150 feet (46 m). Source: Pacific Coast Fishes Peterson’s Field Guide Eschmeyer/Herald/Hammann 1983

Masked Greenling Hexagrammos octogrammus Not typically caught in Washington waters. Description: A northern species. 5 lateral lines, but 4th line very short. A large cirrus above eye. Color varies usually greenish brown, with darker saddles on back and mottling on side; lighter below. Dorsal and anal fins often black-edged; pelvic fin blackish. Size: To 28 cm (11 inches) Range/Habitat: Sea of Okhotsk (USSR) to Banks Island, B.C. Shallow rocky areas. Source: Pacific Coast Fishes Peterson’s Field Guide Eschmeyer/Herald/Hammann 1983