Genus: Acyrtops, Emerald Clingfish, Clingfishes

ACYRTOPS

CLINGFISHES

Body fairly short; head relatively large, wide; top lip narrow, about the same width at front as at sides; teeth at front of top jaw sharp pointed, compressed, with a patch of small, conical teeth behind them; lower incisors serrated, a few small fleshy lobes under lower jaw, but nowhere else on head; nostrils well separated, tubular; 6-7 broad gill rakers on 2nd arch; sucker disc relatively small (<25% of SL), with short papillae at front and rear and a small patch in center; pectoral fin 20-22, lowest 5-7 rays distinctly reduced in size, a small fleshy pad on lower pectoral base; median fins short; 1 dorsal fin, at rear, no spines, 5-6; anal fin 5-7, like dorsal fin and under it; tail 8; no scales; lateral line present as pores on head only.

A W Atlantic genus with 3 species; 2 endemics in the Greater Caribbean.