Hump-back [White] sculpin

Q: Can you eat Hump-back [White] sculpin?

A deep-water sculpin from the abyssal depths of Lake Baikal; not consumed. A deepwater endemic species of one of the world's oldest and most biodiverse lake ecosystems.

Q: How big does Hump-back [White] sculpin get?

Hump-back [White] sculpin can grow up to 14.0 cm long.

Q: Where is Hump-back [White] sculpin found?

Strictly endemic to Lake Baikal, Siberia, Russia. Occupies deep profundal habitats from 300 to over 800 m in the cold, clear, oligotrophic waters of this UNESCO World Heritage site, the world's oldest and deepest lake. Abyssal zone of Lake Baikal, Siberia. Cold, deep freshwater at 300-1000m. An endemic species in one of the world's deepest lakes, characterized by extreme cold and high oxygen content.

Q: What family does Hump-back [White] sculpin belong to?

Hump-back [White] sculpin (Abyssocottus gibbosus) belongs to the family Cottidae (Sculpins) in the order Scorpaeniformes (Scorpionfishes).

Abstract

Lake Baikal's profundal zone — cold, clear, highly oxygenated and the deepest lake water on Earth — is the sole habitat of Abyssocottus gibbosus, which occurs several hundred metres down. The sculpin reaches 14 cm and takes its name from a distinctly humped dorsal profile. Its body is pale whitish to light grey and largely unpigmented, with a white belly and broad, pale to translucent pectoral fins, the usual condition among fishes of lightless depths. The species is one product of the remarkable evolutionary radiation of sculpins within Baikal, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the world's oldest lake. It has no food use.