Species: Tomicodon lavettsmithi, Reticulate Clingfish

Tomicodon lavettsmithi Williams & Tyler, 2003

Reticulate Clingfish

Body and head relatively slender (both viewed from above); front nostril with a tiny skin flap; front of both jaws with a single row of flattened incisors, some with 3 points; top jaw with 2 canines, 8-11 incisors, lower jaw 2-4 canines, 6 incisors; a small fleshy swelling at pectoral base; 1 dorsal fin, at rear, no spines, 6-7; anal fin like dorsal fin and under it, origin under dorsal ray 3 (2-4), 6-7 rays; pectoral 20, only a small fleshy swelling at pectoral base; sucker disc with broad patches of papillae at front (6 rows) and rear (7 rows) but no papillae in center, front edge of disc rough, with fleshy tabs; tail fin 10-12 segmented rays; anus midway between sucker disc and anal fin origin or nearer anal fin origin; no scales; lateral line present as pores on head only.

Upper head and back with dark brownish hour-glass bars, and thin dark reticulating lines separating pale spots; head with 5 lines radiating down from eye between front of mouth and lower rear corner of operculum; iris yellow green to yellow above, brown below; lower sides with dark V bars; upper ¾ of fleshy base of pectoral fin heavily pigmented, often with 2 dark diagonal bars; no distinctive spot on shoulders above pectoral base; a whitish bar across rear end of tail base; tail fin whitish with a dark bar on its base and another at ~mid fin.

Reaches 3.2 cm.

Habitat coral and shell rubble and seagrass on mud.

Depth range: 0-1 m?

NW Caribbean.