Image source: Lauren Martin | inaturalist.org
The starry rockfish has a robust, rhombus-shaped body which has a depth of just under a third of its standard length. It has 13-14 spines and 12-14 soft rays in its dorsal fin while its anal fin has 3 spines and 5-7 soft rays. This species reaches a maximum total length of 46 cm (18 in) and a maximum published weight of 1 kg (2.2 lb) Starry rockfish are orange-red in color on the body and fins, darker on their backs with 5 or 6 large white blotches on its upper flanks and there are numerous small white spots over the upper body too. The head is rounded, more so than its congeners, and is marked with white blotches. Adults are darker than subadults and juveniles. The starry rockfish is found in the Eastern Pacific Ocean off the west coast of North America. Here they are found from Humboldt County, California in the United States to Todos Santos, Baja California Sur in Mexico. They reach their greatest abundance along the stretch of coast between central California and central Baja California. It is found at depth between 24 and 274 m (79 and 899 ft), typically between 60 and 149 m (197 and 489 ft). Adults are associated with deep reefs and are only found over hard substrates, near large boulders or in crevices.
