Gobiesocidae

Clingfishes
Temporal range: 23.03-0 Ma Early Miocene–Present
Aspasmichthys ciconiae
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Clade: Ovalentaria
Order: Blenniiformes
Suborder: Gobiesocoidei
Family: Gobiesocidae
Bleeker, 1860
Type species
Gobiesox cephalus
Lacépède, 1800

Clingfishes are ray-finned fishes of the family Gobiesocidae, the only family in the suborder Gobiesocoidei of the order Blenniiformes.[1] These fairly small to very small fishes are widespread in tropical and temperate regions, mostly near the coast, but a few species live in deeper seas or fresh water. Most species shelter in shallow reefs or seagrass beds, clinging to rocks, algae and seagrass leaves with their sucking disc, a structure on their chest.[2][3]

They are generally too small to be of interest to fisheries, although the relatively large Sicyases sanguineus regularly is caught as a food fish,[4] and some of the other species occasionally appear in the marine aquarium trade.[2]

  1. ^ "Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes Classification | California Academy of Sciences". www.calacademy.org.
  2. ^ a b Bray, Dianne. "Family GOBIESOCIDAE". Fishes of Australia. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  3. ^ Donaldson, T.J. (2004). "Gobiesocoidei (Clingfishes And Singleslits)". encyclopedia.com. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  4. ^ Paine, R.T.; A.R. Palmer (1978). "Sicyases sanguineus: a Unique Trophic Generalist from the Chilean Intertidal Zone". Copeia. 1978 (1): 75–81. doi:10.2307/1443824. JSTOR 1443824.