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| Fivebeard rockling | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Gadiformes |
| Family: | Lotidae |
| Genus: | Ciliata |
| Species: | C. mustela |
| Binomial name | |
| Ciliata mustela (Linnaeus, 1758) |
|
The fivebeard rockling (Ciliata mustela) is a coastal fish of the Lotidae family. Its body is elongated and up to 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long. It lives in shallow water on muddy and sandy seafloors, sometimes in the littoral zone. It is sometimes found by turning over rocks and debris on mudflats at low tide.
In colour it is has a dark brown back, with a reddish or blackish underside merging with a pale gray-brown. Its "five beard" name comes from the short, fleshy barbels around its mouth.
The fivebeard rockling lives usually close to the shore, not normally deeper than 20 metres (66 ft). It prefers a rocky bottom but can also be found on sandy, muddy or gravelly seafloors. It feeds mainly on crustaceans, sometimes also on algae, polychaetes, gastropods and occasionally, small fish. It is found in water temperatures between 8 °C (46 °F) and 24 °C (75 °F), on European Atlantic coasts.
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