| Diplecogaster bimaculata | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Gobiesociformes |
| Family: | Gobiesocidae |
| Genus: | Diplecogaster |
| Species: | D. bimaculata |
| Binomial name | |
| Diplecogaster bimaculata (Bonnaterre, 1788) | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
Diplecogaster bimaculata, the two-spotted clingfish, is a species of fish in the family Gobiesocidae found in Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean where it is found on rocks and among seagrass or shell beds.
The species has pelvic fins modified to create a sucker which is used for clinging to rocks or other hard surfaces. [3] It shows variable colouration and its body is frequently coloured red and is spotted with violet, blue, brown or yellow, [3] and they have a yellowish ventral surface. [4] They are sexually dimorphic and the males show a purple spot, surrounded by yellow, immediately to the rear of their pectoral fin. It has a flattened body and a small head, [3] which is roughly triangular in shape. The single dorsal and anal fin are situated posteriorly near to the tail [5] and both are separate from the caudal fin [4] which sits at the end of a long caudal peduncle. [6] It has large eyes and a short snout which ends in large, fleshy lips [4] and very small gill openings. [2] This is a small fish which grows to 6 centimetres (2.4 in) in total length. [2] D. bimaculata can be confused with the similar Apletodon dentatus , although the two-spotted clingfish extends much further north than the small-headed clingfish, and the best way to distinguish them is from their teeth, [3] which in this species are small and conical and grow in patches and there are no large canine teeth. [5]
Diplecogaster bimaculata is found in the northeastern Atlantic from Trøndelag in Norway [3] and the Faroes south to Gibraltar; [2] its range includes Madeira, the Azores and the Canary Islands, as well as the Mediterranean Sea as far east as the Adriatic Sea. [6]
Most commonly found in areas of rocky substrates, D. bimaculata is also frequently spotted in beds of seagrasses and bivalve banks, where there is an abundance of empty mollusc shells for the fish to shelter in. It has been recorded from the intertidal zone down to depths of 55 metres (180 ft). The eggs are laid in the spring and summer with the parents guarding the egg mass, [5] which is normally laid under a stone or in an empty shell. The larvae and the juvenile fish are pelagic but quickly move to a benthic habit. The major part of its diet is small crustaceans. [4] It has been photographed cleaning a Mediterranean moray (Muraena helena). [7]
It was described as Cyclopterus bimaculatus in 1788 by Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre [8] and was designated as the type species of the genus Diplecogaster by Alec Fraser-Brunner in 1938. [9] The specific name bimaculata refers to the two dark spots on either side of the adhesive sucker while the generic name is a compound of di meaning "two", pleco meaning "fold" and gaster meaning belly, a reference to the double-type sucker of this genus. [10]
The New Zealand urchin clingfish is a clingfish. It is found around New Zealand wherever sea urchins are present. Its length is between 2 and 3 cm.
Clingfishes are fishes of the family Gobiesocidae, the only family in the order Gobiesociformes. These fairly small to very small fishes are widespread in tropical and temperate regions, mostly near the coast, but a few species in deeper seas or fresh water. Most species shelter in shallow reefs or seagrass beds, clinging to rocks, algae and seagrass leaves with their sucking disc, a structure on their chest.
Dellichthys is a small genus of clingfishes from the family Gobiesocidae which are endemic to New Zealand. It had been regarded as a monotypic genus but a second species was described in 2018.
Hector's clingfish is a clingfish of the family Gobiesocidae, the only species in the genus Gastrocyathus. It is found all down the east coast of New Zealand around the low water mark amongst seaweed, on rocky coastlines. Its length is up to 6.4 centimetres (2.5 in) SL. This species was described in 1876 by Albert Günther as Crepidogaster hectoris from a holotype collected on the south shore of the Cook Strait. Günther honoured the Scottish-born scientist James Hector (1834-1907) who was the Director of the Geological Survey of New Zealand and who presented type to the British Museum.
The giant clingfish is a clingfish of the family Gobiesocidae, the only species in the genus Haplocylix. It is found all down the east coast of New Zealand around the low water mark amongst seaweed, on rocky coastlines. Its length is up to 15 centimetres (5.9 in). This species was originally described as Cyclopterus littoreus in 1801 by Johann Reinhold Forster, John C. Briggs subsequently placed it in the monotypic genus Haplocylix. Its closest relative appears to be the Caribbean deepwater clingfish Gymnoscyphus ascitus.
Modicus tangaroa is a clingfish of the family Gobiesocidae, found only around New Zealand where it occurs on coarse substrates consisting of shell fragments and bryozoa at depths of 20–149 metres (66–489 ft). This species was described by Grahma S Hardy in 1983 from types collected from the research vessel Tangoroa over the Ranfurly Bank, East Cape in New Zealand, the species was named after the vessel.
Bellator militaris, the horned sea robin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the sea robins. This fish is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
The red gurnard, also known as the East Atlantic red gurnard or soldier, is a benthic species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. This fish is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.
Diplecogaster is a genus of fish in the family Gobiesocidae found in Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.
The Weedsucker is a species of clingfish found along the coasts of Namibia and South Africa, from Lüderitz to the mouth of the Kei River. This species grows to a maximum length of 3.5 centimetres (1.4 in) Total Length. This species is the only known member of its genus and was described by James L.B. Smith in 1943 with the type locality being described as 10 miles (16 km) west of East London, east of Igoda, South Africa.
The blunt-snouted clingfish is a species of clingfish found along the western Mediterranean Sea coasts from Spain to Italy. This species grows to a length of 5 centimetres (2.0 in) TL. The blunt-nosed clingfish is a little known species of shallow water along the littoral of the northern Mediterranean from Alicante to Sicily. Its range was formerly thought to extend to Israel and Syria in the east; however this was actually several closely related cryptic species. It can survive out of the water and occurs only among intertidal pebbles and sand.
Propherallodus briggsi is a species of clingfish native to the coasts of Japan. This species grows to a length of 3 centimetres (1.2 in) SL. This species is the only known member of its genus, it was described by Masaru Shiogaki and Yoshie Dotsu in 1983 with a type locality of Meshima Island, Japan. Its specific name honours the American ichthyologist John "Jack" C. Briggs (1920–2018).
The streaked gurnard, also known as the African gurnard or rock gurnard, is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. This fish is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and western Indian Ocean. This species is of commercial importance as a food fish.
Lepadogaster candolii, common name Connemarra clingfish, is a species of fish in the genus Lepadogaster. It occurs in the Eastern Atlantic from the British Isles south to Madeira and the Canary Islands and into the western Mediterranean and the Black Sea. The specific name candolii honours the Swiss botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle (1778-1841) and has various spellings: candolii, candolei, candollei, and decandollii, but only the first one is correct. Some workers have found that L. candolii is not closely related to the other two species in the genus Lepadogaster and have proposed the placing of this species in the revived monotypic genus Mirbelia Canestrini, 1864, at least until more definitive taxonomic studies can be undertaken.
The São Tomé clingfish is a species of marine fish of the family Gobiesocidae (clingfish). It grows to 1.4 cm maximal length. It occurs in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, around the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe between 0 and 3 metres depth. The species was first described in 2007 by Ronald Fricke, its specific name honouring the collector of the type, marine biologist Peter Wirtz of Madeira.
Diplecogaster tonstricula, the Eastern Atlantic cleaner clingfish, is a species of clingfish from the family Gobiesocidae which is found in the tropical eastern North Atlantic Ocean. It has been observed cleaning larger species of fish.
Lepadichthys frenatus, the bridled clingfish, is a species of clingfish from the family Gobiesocidae. It is found on shallow reefs in the western Pacific Ocean.
Opeatogenys gracilis is a species of clingfish from the family Gobiesocidae which is found in the Mediterranean Sea and in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Suggested common names for this species are the pygmy clingfish and the seagrass clingfish.
Opeatogenys cadenati is a species of clingfish from the family Gobiesocidae. It occurs in the eastern Atlantic and has been recorded off Ghana, Senegal and Morocco, as well as off the Canary Islands. This species was described by John C. Briggs in 1957 with a type locality of Chenal de Joal off Senegal. Briggs honoured the French ichthyologist Jean Cadenat (1908-1992) who was Director of the Marine Biological Section of the Institut Français d’Afrique Noire in Gorée, Senegal.
The large-scaled gurnard is a species of marine, demersal ray-finned fish from the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
