Eumicrotremus orbis
Snailfish-Cyclopteridae Family
Description: Cute! Globular head and body. Cone-shaped lumps cover the head and body. Wide range of colors including shades of brown to green, red, purple, and orange, often with yellow or orange highlights. The pectoral fins form a wide suction cup that covers the entire breast.
Color: They take on the color of their habitat. Green, dark reds and browns.
Range: Common to uncommon northern Washington to Aleutian Islands, Alaska. Also found in Siberia, Russia.
Size: Very small (the one pictured here was about 1.5 inches). Length up to 5 inches. A lot of divers miss these, so you have to go SLOW!
Habitat: Live in a wide range of habitats, including eelgrass beds to rocky areas with kelp; also in shallow bays around docks. As with most members of the Snailfish family, the Lumpsucker has a suction disk on the underside of it's body. It uses this disk to hold on to solid objects in heavy currents. In the Puget Sound area, they are often found attached to the brown kelp.
Depth: Intertidal to 60 ft.
Behavior: Slow, inefficient swimmers. Remain still, apparently relying on camouflage. Move only when disturbed. Attaches to solid objects with their suction cup.
ID Clues: It has a squarish foredorsal fin which is widely separated from the second dorsal fin.
