Surf-perches are perch-like fish that belong to the
Embiotocidae family. They inhabit the North Pacific coast from California to
Alaska and some species are found in Japanese waters.
They are never found far from the shoreline and may be seen,
for example, in rock pools.
The most remarkable feature of surf-perches is that they
give birth to live young. The eggs, which can vary in number from three to 80,
are fertilized in the ovarian follicles but then remain in the ovaries until
fully formed, being fed by secretions produced in the ovaries.
Young males do not leave the ovaries until they are
themselves sexually mature. In the shiny surf-perch (Cymatogaster aggregate),
which is found abundantly in California, the males mate almost immediately after
they are born.
The illustration is of a Californian striped surf-perch (Embiotoca
lateralis).
© John Welford
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