''Clinus berrisfordi'', the Onrust klipfish, is a species of

clinid Clinidae is a family of marine fish in the order Blenniiformes within the series Ovalentaria, part of the Percomorpha . Temperate blennies, the family ranges from the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, in both the Southern and Northern Hemis ...

that occurs in

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

waters of the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

from

False Bay False Bay (Afrikaans ''Valsbaai'') is a body of water in the Atlantic Ocean between the mountainous Cape Peninsula and the Hottentots Holland Mountains in the extreme south-west of South Africa. The mouth of the bay faces south and is demarcat ...

Skoenmakerskop Skoenmakerskop is a small village in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It is located southwest of the promontory on which Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

where it prefers marine and

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...

habitats with plentiful growth of

seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of '' Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...

. This species can reach a maximum length of TL.

Description

The body is slightly compressed. The snout is wedge-shaped, with an acute profile angle and moderate to thin lips. There are prominent tentacles above the eyes, with flattened stalks ending in several long filaments. The cirri on the front nostrils have a narrow stalk and a flattened, bilobed tip. The first three dorsal spines are not elevated to form a crest, but are equal to or longer than the fourth and succeeding spines, and there is no notch in the membrane between the third and fourth spines. The dorsal spines are tipped with clusters of 3 fine cirri for about half the length of the fin. The inner pelvic ray is always very small. The caudal peduncle is short. The body is reddish orange with about seven faint darker bars. Two dark lines radiate from the eyes across the cheek, and there is a dark ocellate spot on the shoulder. The fins are also reddish orange, faintly mottled and barred. Attains 12 cm.

Diagnostics

The

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through conv ...

has 33 to 36 spines, followed by 5 to 6 rays. The

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

has 2 spines and 22 to 25 rays. The

pectoral fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...

has 11 to 13 rays, and the ventral fin has 1 spine and 3 rays. There are 3 to 4 gill rakers on the upper limb of the first gill arch ) and 6 to 7 on the lower limb. There are 16 to 17 abdominal

vertebrae The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates,Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristic i ...

and 28 to 31 caudal vertebrae. The

lateral line The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelial ...

has about 23 vertically paired pores at the front and a few single pores above and below the line. There are 4.5 to 5 times the body depth in the

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish m ...

, and 3.4 to 4 times the head length in the standard length. The head length is from 3 to 4.2 times the eye diameter. The length of the caudal peduncle is 20% to 35% of the head length, and its depth is 20% to 35% of the head length head length.

Common names

Onrust klipfish.

Etymology

Berrisfordi: after C.D. Berrisford, who aided in collection of specimens.

Distribution and habitat

Known from False Bay to just west of Algoa Bay. Inhabits weedy pools at the bottom of the intertidal region.

Reproduction

Viviparous.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2238470 berrisfordi Taxa named by Mary Louise Penrith Fish described in 1967