British Columbia Creature Page

Explore The Animals That Live Under British Columbia's Ocean Waters

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Books You Should Own

**B**Beachwalking and tidepooling symbol.

Fish

View a diagram of a fish's external anatomy.

Scorpion Fish (family Scorpaenidae)

 
Canary rockfish Sebastes pinniger
China rockfish Sebastes nebulosus
Copper rockfish Sebastes caurinus
Quillback rockfish Sebastes maliger
Tiger rockfish Sebastes nigrocinctus
Yelloweye rockfish Sebastes ruberrimus
Puget Sound rockfish Sebastes emphaeus
Black rockfish Sebastes melanops

Other Fish

 
**B**Crescent gunnel Pholis laeta
High cockscomb Anoplarchus purpurescens
Decorator warbonnet Chirolophis decoratus
Mosshead warbonnet Chirolophis nugator
Kelp greenling Hexagrammos decagrammus
Painted greenling Oxylebius pictus
Plainfin midshipman Porichthys notatus
Ratfish Hydroagus colliei
Sailfin sculpin Nautichthys oculofasciatus
Wolf-eel Anarrhichthys ocellatus
Scalyhead sculpin Artedius harringtoni
Longfin sculpin Jordania zonope
Grunt sculpin Rhamphocottus richardsoni
Lingcod Ophiodon elongatus
**B**Tubesnout Aulorhynchus flavidus
**B**Striped perchEmbiotoca lateralis
Longfin gunnel Pholis clemensi

Algae and Marine Plants

Algae

 
**B**Iridescent algae Iridea, Gymnogongrus
Cup and saucer algae Constantinea simplex
**B**Branching coralline algae Bossiella; corallina
**B**Bull kelp Nereocystis

 

Invertebrates

Bryozoan & Brachiopods (Lophophorates)

 
Lacy bryozoan Phidolopora pacifica
Spiral bryozoan Bugula californica, Bugula spp.
Kelp encrusting bryozoan Membranipora membranacea

Common brachiopod Terebratalia transversa
Snakeshead brachiopod Terebratulina unguicula

Nudibranchs (Mollusks)

 
Tricoloured polycera Polycera tricolour
Alabaster dirona Dirona albolineata
Gold dirona Dirona aurantia
Bicoloured nudibranch Janolus fuscus
Clown nudibranch Triopha catalinae
Cockerell's dorid Laila cockerelli
 White knight nudibranch aegires albopunctatus
 Coloured dendronotid Dendronotus diversicolor
Red dendronotid Dendronotus rufus
Giant swimming nudibranch Dendronotus iris
Hooded nudibranch Melibe leonina
Monterey dorid Archidoris montereyensis
Nanaimo dorid Acanthodoris nanaimoensis
Cooper's dorid Aldisa cooperi
California berthella Berthella californica
**B**Opalescent nudibranch Hermissenda crassicornis
Red-gilled aeolid Flabellina fusca and flabellina verrucosa
Three lined aeolid Flabellina trilineata
Orange peel nudibranch Toquina tetraquetra
Ringed dorid Dialula sandiegensis
Shaggy mouse Aeolidea papillosa
Festive nudibranch Tritonia festiva
Diomedes nudibranch Tritonia diomedea
**B**Taylor's seahare Phyllaplysia taylori
**B**Brown barnacle nudibranch Onchidoris bilamellata
California arminid Armina californica
Spotted aglaja Aglaja ocelligera

Bivalves (Mollusks)

 
Swimming scallop Chlamys sp.
Rock scallop Crassedoma giganteum
**B**California mussel Myltius californianus

Gastropods & Polyplacophora (Mollusks)

 
**B**Lewis moon snail Polinices lewisii
Ring top shell Calliostoma annulatum
Blue top snail Calliostoma ligatum
Slipper shell Crepidula adunca
Northern abalone Haliotis kamtschatkana

Keyhole limpet diodora aspera
**B**Lined chiton Tonicella lineata
Veiled chiton Placiphorella rufa

Cephalopods (Mollusks)

 
Opalescent squid Loligo opalescens
Stubby squid Rossia pacifica
**B**Pacific octopus Octopus dofleini

Crabs & Shrimp (Arthropods)

 
Armed hermit crab Pagurus armatus
Red hermit crab Pagurus hemphilli
Granular-claw hermit crab Elassochirus tenuimanus

Deep water decorator crab Chorila longipes
Northern kelp crab Pugettia producta
**B**Sharp-nose crab Scyra acutifrons
Baird's crab Chionoecetes bairdi
Furry legged lithode crab Rhinolithodes wosnessenskii
Heart crab Phyllolithodes papillosus
Puget Sound king crab Lopholithodes mandtii
Helmet crab Telemessus cheiragonus
Galatheid crab Munida quadrispina
Candycane shrimp Lebbeus grandimanus
Stiletto shrimp Heptacarpus stylus
Horned shrimp Paracrangon echinata
**B**Goose-neck barnacle Pollicipes polymerus
**B**Eel grass isopod Idotea resecata
Sea spider Nymphon spp. and Tanystylum spp.

Cnidarians & Ctenophores

 
Brooding anemone Epiactis prolifera
Crimson anemone Cribrinopsis fernaldii
Fish eating anemone Urticina piscivora
**B**Green surf anemone Anthopleura xanthogrammica
**B**Beaded telia Urticina coriacea
Tube-dwelling anemone Pachycerianthus fimbriatus
Strawberry anemone Corynactis californica
**B**Pink-tipped surf anemone Anthopleura elegantissima
Zoanthid Epizoanthus scotinus
Worm like amemone Halacampa decemtentaculata

Encrusting Hydrocoral Allopora petrograpta
Branching Hydrocoral Allopora spp.
Soft coral Gersemia rubiformis
Orange seapen Ptilosarcus gurneyi
White seapen Virgularia sp.
Sea whip Osteocella septentrionalis
Stolon Coral Clavularia sp.
Pink-mouthed clustered hydroids Tubularia crocea
Solitary pink-mouthed hydroid Tubularia marina
Orange hydroid Garveia annulata
Hedgehog hydroid Hydractinia milleri
Pencil jellyfishPolyorchus pencillatus
**B**HydromedusaSolmissus sp.

Sponges (Porifera)

 
**B**Orange finger sponge Neoesperiopsis rigida
Large finger sponge Neoesperiopsis digitata
Bristly vase sponge Leucandra heathi

 

Echinoderms

 
Feather star Florometra serratissima
**B**Striped sunstar Solaster stimpsoni
**B**Sunflower star Pycnopodia helianthodes
Six-rayed starfish Leptasterias hexactis
Painted star Orthasterias koehleri
Slime starPteraster tesselatus
Cookie starCeramaster patagonicus

Daisy brittle star Ophiopholis aculeata
Gray brittle star Ophiura lutkeni; Ophiura sarsi
Basket Star Gorgonocephalus eucnemis
**B** Green sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis
Red sea urchin Strongylocentrotus franciscanus
Worm like seacucumber Chiridota albatrossi

Tunicates (cordata)


Stalked tunicate Styela montereyensis
 Horseshoe tunicate Chelyosoma productum
 Bristly tunicate Halocynthia igaboja
 Dwarf stalked lightbulb tunicate Pycnoclavella stanleyi
 Social tunicate Metandrocarpa taylori
 White crust compound tunicate Didemnum albidum
Sea pork tunicate Aplidium spp.
Club tunicate Distapila smithi

 

Worms

 
**B**Calcareous tubeworm Serpula vermicularis
Slime tubeworm Protula pacifica, Myxicola sp.
Giant white tubeworm Apomatus sp.
**B**Feather duster worm Eudistylia vancouveri

 

© 1995-2003 Kerry L. Werry

If you have any comments on this page let me know (klw@telus.net)