Striped clingfish
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| Trachelochismus melobesia Phillipps, 1927 |
The striped clingfish, Trachelochismus melobesia, is a clingfish of the family Gobiesocidae, found all around New Zealand from low water to about 5 m, on rocky coastlines. Its length is between 5 and 10 cm.
The striped clingfish has a flattened body, and is rose-pink in color, becoming scarlet on tail and fins, and pink with yellowish tinges ventrally. There is a deep reddish patch over most of the body dorsally. This species of clingfish is distinguished from others by a broad, bluntly pointed head, a thick, fleshy upper lip, and a pattern of longitudinal bands of brown or yellow on the back. There is no longitudinal groove below the eye but a line of papillae is usually present. The sucking disc has flattened papillae continuous across the anterior margin.
The striped clingfish inhabits sheltered areas beneath rocks of the intertidal at mid to low tide level, but is also found in subtidal areas. Feeds on small crustaceans and molluscs.
[edit] References
- "Trachelochismus melobesia". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. January 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
- Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8
