Ciliata mustela

Chris Barrett Hi all, happy 2012! I'm working from my parent's house and don't have my Hayward and Ryland book here to help me ID any uncertain prey items. The attached photo was from inside a small Ciliata mustela and the prey item was about 10mm in length. Initially, I thought of an Idotea, but the body seemed too narrow. Any suggestions are, as always, greatly appreciated

Marco Faasse A Tanaidacea likely. They often look similar to isopods, bur usually rather narrow indeed.

Danny Neilson Any chance of a lateral view Chris?

Andy Horton 4 June 2012 A rockpooling visit to Worthing Pier on a low (0.4 metres) spring tide produced a surprise Brittlestar as well as some infrequent summer occurences like two large Velvet Swimming Crabs, Necora puber, a handful of small Common Hermit Crabs, Pagurus bernhardus, in winkle shells, a single Common Starfish Asterias rubens, one Dahlia Anemone, Urticina felina, one small Long-legged Spider Crab Macropodia rostrata, and one sub-adult 5-Bearded Rockling, Ciliata mustela. A Greater Pipefish, Syngnathus acus, was rescued from the beak of a Herring Gull. Daisy Anemones, Cereus pedunculatus, were frequently found in chocolate brown hues. Snakelocks Anemones, Anemonia viridis, were common as usual with frequent Beadlet Anemones Actinia equina. Full Rockpooling Report http://www.glaucus.org.uk/LancingBeach2008.htm#4June (This came out like a list: I must be a bit tired.)

David Hill David Hill Andy - went on a Bioblitz on Saturday at Cemlyn Bay (north coast of Anglesey) and today rockpooling at Llanddulas (north Wales coast) - lots of interesting new finds (for me anyway, fairly new to marine life). Cemlyn included Eel, 5-Bearded Rockling, Butterfish, Lobster and Great Scallop - a few pics here www.flickr.com/photos/natureseye/sets/72157630042354134/ and list of species here http://www.cofnod.org.uk/BioBlitz?ID=6 At Llanddullas this afternoon lots of Sea Gooseberries and a few Pipefish, pics to follow.

Andy Horton The Greater Pipefish did not look injured when collected, but I do not think it will survive. The gulls catch these pipefish occasionally and drop them in gardens.

Joe Bater that would have been a great UW macro photography day!

Andy Horton Not so good on the photography front. Pier causes shadows and low light. Capture and return. I hope to get a few shots later. I was terrestrial and the critters were under rocks. More though. The young rockpoolers (8 yo) are well informed now.

David Hill http://www.flickr.com/photos/natureseye/7340913120/

Andy Horton 20 March 2011 In the early evening, I recorded by first wild fish of the year a 5-Bearded Rockling, Ciliata mustela, on the kelp-covered shore by Brooklands (west Lancing, west of the pipeline) plus my first crab, a very small Velvet Swimming Crab, Necora puber. http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Coastal2011.htm#Ciliata

Andy Horton 20 March 2011 In the early evening, I recorded by first wild fish of the year a 5-Bearded Rockling, Ciliata mustela, on the kelp-covered shore by Brooklands (west Lancing, west of the pipeline) plus my first crab, a very small Velvet Swimming Crab, Necora puber.

Paula Lightfoot Hi, can anyone confirm if this is the shore rockling Gaidropsaurus mediterraneus? It was on a shallow shore dive in Runswick Bay, North Yorkshire. The fish was about 20cm long and uniform dark brown colour.

Chris Barrett Possibly hard to say from a head-shot only, but G.mediterraneus shouldn't have the reddish/brown, blotched colour that G.vulgaris has

Andy Horton I am not sure as I do not have personal expereince with this fish. See the notes on http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Rockling.htm

Andy Horton I am gtempted to think this is Gaidropsarus vulgaris from the shape of the mouth.

Paula Lightfoot Both are target species in the Meet the Species project http://www.bnhc.org.uk/home/meet-the-species.html that haven't been found yet so it's good to know we've got one or the other! Wish I'd been able to get a shot of the body before it went into the hole and just stuck its head out.

Douglas Herdson Hi, yes the Shore rockling Gaidropsarus mediterraneus. G.vulgaris is normally a much bulkier animal with distinctive colouration (see page 1 of the Scillies fish guide) http://www.ios-wildlifetrust.org.uk/livingseas/Fish_identification_guide_and_study. Sometimes the second pair of upper lip barbels are not obvious on Ciliata mustela, but I am sure they would have been in a clear photo like this one.

Douglas Herdson Having just perused the "Meet the species" website, I find the bony fish list rather strange. Why are the Arctic Rockling, which no-one is likely to find, and the Giant goby, which is a protected species, included. Similarly the names - red wrasse is an old name for the female cuckoo wrasse; Gilt-head is the Manx name for the Corkwing, while in the rest of Britain Gilthead is the sea bream Sparus aurata. Finally I do wish people would stop using the name PollOck for Pollachius pollachius, the PollAck, when it is the official American name for Pollachius virens - our Saithe, Coalfish or Coley! Can I include the fish I meet tomorrow morning at the fish market? BTW Gaidropsarus vulgaris, the Three-bearded Rockling is not on the list. Neither is the Lesser Weever.

Paula Lightfoot That's odd, BNHC sent round a list of species that had not yet been found on the 6th August and on that list Gaidropsaurus vulgaris IS included, but with the common name of arctic rockling! No, lesser weever isn't on the list - I think if you're doing an outreach event with kids that's a species you don't WANT to meet! They also included an encrusting pink alga which I suspect can't be ID'd to species level in situ, a couple of Ceramiums and several chitons which are very tricky indeed!! Still, the project seems to have done a lot to engage the public in biological recording and species ID - we certainly had fun yesterday, it added an extra challenge to our shore survey and Seasearch dives! Not sure if you can include the fish at the market!! I think you have to register your event with them beforehand ;-)

Douglas Herdson That is strange when I click on Arctic Rockling it gives the correct name of Gaidropsarus argentatus. Shame the MBA Bioblitz was not included. This year at Cawsand Bay we recorded about 1000 species.

Paula Lightfoot A small rockling with 5 barbels found intertidally on the Yorkshire coast - can anyone tell me if it is a 5-bearded or northern rockling please? Apparently one difference is the shape and size of the mouth so I wondered if this photo might show enough detail.

Chris Barrett I'd go with Ciliata mustela, in my experience of what's been found. Nice photo! :)

Chris Barrett Apparently Ciliata septentrionalis is more sub-littoral

Paula Lightfoot Thank you very much :)

Magnus Johnson and (according to Wheeler) C. mustela has no supplementary barbels above the side of the mouth.

Tony Gilbert I'd go with Ciliata mustela as well, for the same reason Magnus has given. Just checked Paul Kay & Francis Dipper's excellent fish guide, and they cite them (on the Northern) as "small skin lobes hanging down over the upper lip", which I guess are barbels of sorts.

Andy Horton http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Rockling.htm

Christian Skauge @Paula: 5-bearded northern rockling...?