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Red Irish Lord

Scientific (Latin) name: Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus
What does it eat? Hermit and tanner crabs, small fish, worms, crustaceans.
Where does it live? From Kamchatka, Russia, to Monterey Bay, Calif.

Hemilepidotus means "half scaled." Two distinct scale bands help differentiate this fish from other sculpins. Despite their common name, red Irish lords can be several colors, including black, white and brown, and blotchy.

Adults reach 20 inches in length; a typical lifespan is about six years.

Red Irish lords gather in spawning areas once a season. It is likely that the same pairs come to the same spawning areas year after year. The fish guard their pinkish eggs in their rocky, high-current beds during the day.

Red Irish Lord
Red Irish Lord

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Last updated: June 16, 2003