Surfperch

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title: "Surfperch" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["embiotocidae", "viviparous-fish", "taxa-named-by-louis-agassiz"] description: "Family of ray-finned fishes" topic_path: "general/embiotocidae" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfperch" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Family of ray-finned fishes ::

| fossil_range = | image = Embiotoca lateralis.jpg | image_caption = Striped surfperch (Embiotoca lateralis) | taxon = Embiotocidae | authority = Agassiz, 1853 | subdivision_ranks = Genera | subdivision_ref = | subdivision = * Amphistichus

• Brachyistius
• Cymatogaster
• Ditrema
• Embiotoca
• Hyperprosopon
• Hypsurus
• Hysterocarpus
• Micrometrus
• Neoditrema
• Phanerodon
• Rhacochilus
• Zalembius
• Eriquius The surfperches are a family of viviparous ray-finned fishes, the Embiotocidae. Most species are marine, inhabiting coastal waters from Baja California to Alaska, with a few found in Asian Pacific coasts. The only freshwater species, the tule perch (Hysterocarpus traski), is endemic to California, United States.

Etymology

From Greek embios meaning 'persistent' and tokos meaning 'birth', alluding to the viviparous reproduction exhibited by embiotocids.

Fossil record

Fossil embiotocids have been found in California, including Eriquius plectrodes from the Late Miocene and the much younger Damalichthys saratogensis.

Description

Surfperches are characterized by deep, laterally compressed bodies and a scaled ridge along the base of the dorsal fin. In all species, males can be visibly distinguished from females by the presence of the distinct reproductive organ on the anal fin.

Reproduction

Surfperches are viviparous, an uncommon trait among marine fishes. Eggs are internally fertilized, and females carry developing embryos for several months. Embryos develop inside the ovary, and are initially nourished by the yolk and surrounding ovarian fluid. Embryos have highly vascular dorsal and anal fins which lay against the vascular ovarian wall, absorbing nutrients and oxygen directly from the mother’s blood supply. Females give live birth to fully formed young instead of laying eggs.{{Multiple image | image1 = Cymatogaster aggregata1.jpg | image2 = Cymatogaster aggregata female.jpg | align = center | total_width = 500 | footer = Shiner perch (Cymatogaster aggregata): Male in breeding colouration (left), and female pregnant with young (right)

Biology

Feeding

Diet varies with species and location. For example, the pile surfperch (Rhacochilus vacca) specializes on hard-shelled mollusks and crustaceans, while the striped surfperch (Embiotoca lateralis) consumes mainly amphipods and bryozoans.

References

References

1. {{FishBase family. (2013)
2. Moyle, Peter B.. (2002). "Inland fishes of California". University of California Press.
3. (July 2015). "The evolutionary history of the embiotocid surfperch radiation based on genome-wide RAD sequence data". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.
4. (1975). "Neotropical Aradidae in the collections of the California Academy Sciences, San Franciso (Hemiptera: Heteroptera)". Occasional Papers of the California Academy of Sciences.
5. Casteel, Richard W.. (1978-05-05). "Damalichthys saratogensis: A New Freshwater Fish (Embiotocidae) from the Plio-Pleistocene (Blancan) of California". Copeia.
6. Tarp, Fred Harald. (1952-10-01). "Fish Bulletin No. 88. A Revision of the Family Embiotocidae (The Surfperches)".
7. (2023). "Family: EMBIOTOCIDAE, Surfperches".
8. (1979-11-28). "Geographic Patterns of Prey Utilization in Two Species of Surfperch (Embiotocidae)". Copeia.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::