Species: Tomicodon rupestris, Barred Clingfish, Surge Clingfish

Tomicodon rupestris (Poey, 1860)

Barred Clingfish, Surge 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, 10 incisors, lower jaw 2 canines, 6-8 incisors; a small fleshy swelling at pectoral base; 1 dorsal fin, at rear, no spines, 8-9 (7-10); anal fin like dorsal fin and under it, origin under dorsal ray 2-5, 7-8 (6-9) rays; pectoral 20-22; only a small fleshy swelling at pectoral base; sucker disc with broad patches of papillae at front (6-7 rows) and rear (6-7 rows) but no papillae in center. front edge of disc rough, with fleshy tabs; tail fin 10-12 segmented rays; anus midway between sucker and anal fin origin; no scales; lateral line present as pores on head only.

Pale whitish brown above, lower head and body white; several narrow bars radiating down from eye, that under center of eye triangular; 5-6 dark hourglass saddles on upper head and back; lower side of body with 8-13 narrow dark V bars with broader pale interspaces; dorsal fin with a large dark blotch covering base of rays 1-4/5; tail fin pale, with a dark crescent bar at base and, sometimes, a large dark blotch in center of fin; pectoral base with a dark blotch on upper half that extends onto bases of upper half of rays, lower half translucent.

Reaches 3.4 cm.

Rocky surgy shallows.

Depth range: 0-3 m.

The Bahamas to the S Caribbean.