''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.
Description
''Lepadichthys frenatus'' is pale pinkish to orange in colour and has a dark reddish stripe which runs from the snout through the eye and across the cover of the gills.
It has 15-17 soft rays in its
dorsal fin and 12-15 in its
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 ...
. The dorsal, anal and
caudal fins are all joined to each other.
Compared to other clingfishes the sucker disc is medium in size and this species grows to a
Total Length of .
[
]
Distribution
''Lepadichthys frenatus'' occurs in the western Pacific Ocean from Japan to Australia, east to the Pitcairn Islands
The Pitcairn Islands (; Pitkern: '), officially the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, is a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. The four isl ...
.[ In Australia it is found from the southern Great Barrier Reef to ]South Solitary Island
South Solitary Island Light is an active lighthouse on South Solitary Island, an island within the Solitary Islands Marine Park, about northeast of Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia. The lighthouse is located at the summit of the islan ...
, New South Wales as well as on Elizabeth Reef, Middleton Reef, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...
.[
]
Habitat & biology
''Lepadichthys frenatus'' occurs in coral and rocky reefs, where it frequently shelters at the base of sea urchins belonging to the species '' Diadema setosum''.[ It is found at depths of . The male and female form a distinct pair for breeding and the female lays a brood of eggs.][
]
Taxonomy & etymology
''Lepadichthys frenatus'' was described in 1904 by Edgar Ravenswood Waite with a type locality
Type locality may refer to:
* Type locality (biology)
* Type locality (geology)
See also
* Local (disambiguation)
* Locality (disambiguation)
{{disambiguation ...
of Lord Howe Island.Lepadichthys
''Lepadichthys'' is a genus of clingfishes native to the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Species
There are currently 11 recognized species in this genus:
* ''Lepadichthys bilineatus'' Craig, M.T., Bogorodsky, S.V., Randall, J.E. & Mal, ...
''.Lepadogaster
''Lepadogaster'' is a genus of clingfishes native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean extending into the Mediterranean Sea. ''Lepadogaster'' belongs to class Actinopterygii. This means that they share many of the same characteristics as eels, ray-finne ...
'' with ''Lepado''from that generic name added to ''ichthys'', which is Greek for "fish". The specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
''frenatus'' means "bridled" a presumed to be a reference to the stripe through the eye.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5301024
Fish described in 1904
frenatus