Species: Acyrtus artius, Papillate Clingfish
body translucent, 4 dark bars & dense dark spots
D, A & C spotted

Acyrtus artius Briggs, 1955
Papillate Clingfish
Head relatively long (44-47% SL) and broad (78-89% of head length at level of eyes); top lip broad, much wider at front that at side; nostrils distinctly tubular; front nostril with a flap, usually with 2 tips; top jaw with a row of 8-9 blunt to weakly 3-pointed incisors at front, one row of 6-8 equal-sized conical teeth at side; teeth on lower jaw a row of 8-9 blunt to weakly 3-pointed incisors at front, one row of 5-6 equal-sized conical teeth at side; lower corner of operculum with a large, grooved venomous spine, with associated patch of granular tissue at its base; sucker disc large (length 29-36% SL), large C-shaped band of papillae at front (in 7-8 rows), 2 small C-shaped patches of 7-12 papillae at sides immediately behind that front band, center with 2 oval patches of papillae and rear with a large band of papillae (10-11 rows, front papillae of that band small; median fins short; 1 dorsal fin, at rear, no spines, 9; anal fin 7-8, like dorsal fin and under it; pectoral rays 24-27, lower 5-7 rays not markedly reduced in size; fleshy pad on lower pectoral base absent; tail rays 10; female with a large patch of small fleshy projections just before anus; anus slightly closer to sucker than to anal fin origin; no scales; lateral line present as pores on head only.
Head and front of body to level of pectoral fins reddish to red-orange; head finely speckled with white dots; iris dark red to red-orange, and a light red, cream or white inner ring, white outer ring; rear body translucent with densely packed, regularly arranged elongate red-brown spots, and with 4 red-brown bars from top to bottom of body: the 1st just behind pectorals, the 2nd between front of dorsal and anal fins, a 3rd behind those fins and the 4th at base of tail fin; dorsal, caudal and anal fins with bars formed by rows of red-brown spots on fin rays.
Reaches 3.3 cm.
Occurs on spur-and-groove and walls of outer reef faces, and on blades of fire coral.
Depth range: 8-20 m.
The Bahamas to the S Caribbean.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Reef only
- Rocks
- Corals
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Data
- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
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- Benthic
- Data
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent
- Continent + Island (s)
- GC endemic
- Insular primarily
- Island (s)
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 3.3
- Depth Range Min
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- 8
- Depth Range Max
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- 20