Northwest Dive Club

I think penpoints are named for the spine on their anal fin, not their spots. From Hart:

"Anal...spine large, thin, flexible, V-shaped in cross section with the concave side forward, completely recessed between fleshy folds (like a pen nib), low, confluent with caudal."

Can't really see it in my mind's eye, but that suggests how it got that name.

whatevah wrote:Generally when I've taken a closer look, the spots that the Pen Points are named for are present but difficult to see. But there are a couple of similar fish in our area - the Rockweed Gunnel comes to mind. Look at some photos in books and pay attention to the pectoral fins and other noteworthy differentiators.

A Pen Point often has a dark bar below and above its eyes, the Rockweed doesn't seem to have one!

Greg Jensen wrote:I think penpoints are named for the spine on their anal fin, not their spots. From Hart:

"Anal...spine large, thin, flexible, V-shaped in cross section with the concave side forward, completely recessed between fleshy folds (like a pen nib), low, confluent with caudal."

Can't really see it in my mind's eye, but that suggests how it got that name.

Ah! That's interesting! How often can one actually see this spine? Most of the times only its head is visible or the body hidden in kelp!

Never while diving- something only seen on a dead one under a dissecting scope. Just pointing out that that's where the name came from, not that it's a character to use in the field.

I've always understood that the "penpoint" refers to the dark line above and below the eye that looks like a pen mark, but that's just me.

At the Keystone Jetty, I am having more luck finding juvenile PS King crabs then the Scaly crabs,
they hide from me inside the Plumose anemone forest. This youngster was for some reason out in
open, away from them. The Scalyhead sculpins sure took lot of interest in this crab .

Jan K wrote:At the Keystone Jetty, I am having more luck finding juvenile PS King crabs then the Scaly crabs,
they hide from me inside the Plumose anemone forest. This youngster was for some reason out in
open, away from them.

It seems to me that it is easier to spot them at night. During the latest night dive at Keystone I saw 4!

Tubesnout23 wrote:

Jan K wrote:At the Keystone Jetty, I am having more luck finding juvenile PS King crabs then the Scaly crabs,
they hide from me inside the Plumose anemone forest. This youngster was for some reason out in
open, away from them.

It seems to me that it is easier to spot them at night. During the latest night dive at Keystone I saw 4!

Not so simple to dive Keystone at night, I don't feel like paying for the dive there ...
Not to get personal with this posting, it was not my intention to show the rockfish making a snack out of your screen namesake

lets stay friends

Jan - you didn't know? Tubesnouts are known to clean the teeth of Quillbacks

whatevah wrote:Jan - you didn't know? Tubesnouts are known to clean the teeth of Quillbacks

Now that you mention it, it does look like a toothpick

Jan K wrote:

Tubesnout23 wrote:

Jan K wrote:At the Keystone Jetty, I am having more luck finding juvenile PS King crabs then the Scaly crabs,
they hide from me inside the Plumose anemone forest. This youngster was for some reason out in
open, away from them.

It seems to me that it is easier to spot them at night. During the latest night dive at Keystone I saw 4!

Not so simple to dive Keystone at night, I don't feel like paying for the dive there ...
Not to get personal with this posting, it was not my intention to show the rockfish making a snack out of your screen namesake

lets stay friends

OH My god! Mamma mia! How can you catch those terrible moments? Have you a wicked mermaid fairy that follows you underwater? or maybe it is because you dive like a maniac? or you are fish whisperer under the disguise of a scubadiver?

Tubesnout23 wrote:Have you a wicked mermaid fairy that follows you underwater? or maybe it is because you dive like a maniac? or you are fish whisperer under the disguise of a scubadiver?

Judging on the sheer amount of how much Jan finds, I would have to say all of the above.

Ratfish were not a common sight at Langley, but lately, I see them on every dive ...

Were I to guess why, I'd say maybe breeding ground? A lot of those Ratfish look awfully fat to me. Especially that one on the bottom.

Chenari wrote:Were I to guess why, I'd say maybe breeding ground? A lot of those Ratfish look awfully fat to me. Especially that one on the bottom.

I don't know, but I think that the floating dock above has something to do with change of some of the marine life at Langley. The black mussels are now covering the sides and undersides, and chunks of them keep falling down feeding lots of crabs, sea stars. Also we have now many more rockfish and Tubesnouts around the area... So maybe there is something new for the Ratfish too. Just my 2cents...

Here is Rockweed Isopod and the seaweed after which it is named ( from an older post ).

i remember popping those pods at the shore when i was a child. mom and dad didn't mention the part about exactly what i was getting on my hands....

That's fascinating, that the algae uses the tidal fluctuations as a reproductive strategy. I always learn something from this thread, Jan.

So it was my last chance to dive Deception Pass before the gates are locked for winter season.
Visibility was lousy, ten silty feet, but that forced me to concentrate on the small stuff which
in turn awarded me with a new for me critter. Not the most picturesque and colorful, but as every
fellow critterwatcher knows, it is a special dive when we can see something new. The best I can
guess - it is the Smooth Alligatorfish. If I am mistaken, let me know,
for it is fish I have never seen before..

Few more panels from Deception Pass. It looks like it is egg laying time.
Red Irish Lord on maternity leave...

one lady Lord already did her part

At Keystone, the Kelp Greenlings are also getting ready

while the greenling at Pass already found place for their brood. The Scalyhead sculpin
did just darted over the eggs, not eating them...

and some anemones for color

Very cool, Jan! I have seen kelp greenling eggs, but never Red Irish Lord nests. Now I know what to look for!

Yeah Red Irish Lords are funny when they're protecting their nests. I was trying to get a pic of one once and the little guy actually lunged forward and bit my finger. XD Didn't hurt, just got startled more than anything. Awesome shots of the expectant mother, Jan! That's the fattest I've ever seen a fish. She's about to burst.

LCF wrote:Jan, those are photo contest material, for sure. Not only did you catch something unusual, but the expression on the sculpin's face, with his little pectoral fins spread wide, really captures the drama of it.

That's what I was thinking! Reminds me of the scene in "Finding Nemo" when Marlin is trying to get out of the whale.

Photo contest material for sure ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Jan K wrote: Here is Rockweed Isopod and the seaweed after which it is named ( from an older post ).

Now I know was I was eating when a friend of mine told me that rock weed is good and offered me some. You can dry it to make chips.

Not an earthshaking news, probably of interest to only few die-hard nudie watchers.
The genera Cadlina and Aldisa now have their own family name: Cadlinidae.
I know you are all excited now

Not exactly what I would call light reading! I wish they would quit changing the names of these guys. I just get to where I pretty well have it down and they change it. :angry: :angry: