Clingfish, any of more than 150
species of small sea fishes of the family Gobiesocidae (order Perciformes),
having a flattened elongated body with a sucking disc beneath the head for
clinging to rocks, seaweed etc.
Beautiful Clingfish |
Clingfishes are typically small
fish, with most species less than 6 centimeters (2.4 in) in length. They are
scale less fishes and have wide, flattened heads and they have tapering bodies
with a single dorsal fin. The skin of clingfishes is smooth and scale-less,
with a thick layer of protective mucus. Most species are about 7.5 cm (3
inches) or less in length, though the South African Chorisochismus dentex is up
to 30 cm (12 inches) long. Some of the tropical American clingfishes of the
genus Gobiesox live in rapid streams, but most clingfishes inhabit the sea.
They have a cryptic coloration, and
in some cases can rapidly change color to match their background. Most species
are marine, being found in shallow waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans .
They are bottom-dwelling fishes; some species shelter in sea urchins or
crinoids.
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