''Cochleoceps bicolor'', the western cleaner clingfish, is a species of

clingfish 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 ...

from the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Gobiesocidae which is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to southern Australia. This species has a ground colouration which varies from yellowish to reddish marked with regular transverse blue bands along its back and a bluish-grey

caudal 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 ...

. This species occurs on rocky reefs and jetty or pier piles, where they establish cleaning stations, often over

sponge Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through t ...

s and ascidians, but are known to use a wide variety of reef related sites as stations, perhaps the most important criterion being the prominent visibility of a site to passing parasite laden clients .A station may have from one to multiple Western Cleaner Clingfish, depending on the demand for services and other factors. Some divers have observed shared stations, where several other known temperate marine cleaner host species-notably juvenile moonlighter fish (''Tilodon sexfasciatus'') and rockpool shrimp (''Palaemon serenus'') - behave in cooperative fashion, possibly when client demand peaks, tide and season depending. They are thought to feed on parasites which they clean off larger fish. The distribution of this species extends from

Lancelin, Western Australia Lancelin is a small fishing and tourist town 127 km north of Perth, Western Australia. It is within the Shire of Gingin at the end of Lancelin Road, and a few kilometres away from the scenic highway Indian Ocean Drive (State Route 60). Lanc ...

Port Phillip Port Phillip (Kulin languages, Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped bay#Types, enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, ...

in Victoria. ''C. bicolor'' was described in 1991 by Barry Hutchins from a type locality of Flinders Island.

References

{{Taxonbar, From=Q2776728 Marine fish of Southern Australia Fish described in 1991 bicolor