Species: Arcos erythrops, Rock-wall clingfish

Arcos erythrops (Jordan & Gilbert, 1882)

Rockwall Clingfish

Tadpole shaped, with flattened body and wide flattened head; front nostril with a broad, bushy flap; a few fleshy lobes under chin, but nowhere else on head; top lip broad, much wider at front than at sides; upper jaw with 2-4 pairs of lightly compressed incisors at front followed on each side by 2-4 weak canines; lower jaw with 4-5 pairs of incisors followed on each side by 3-4 canines; top jaw with a row of rounded incisors and a deep patch of small irregular teeth behind them; sucker very large, front and rear parts with a broad band of papillae, central part with 2 close-set patches of papillae, 9-14 rows of flattened papillae across front of sucker disc, 11-14 rows across rear of disc, 7-9 longitudinal rows on each central patch; a well developed flattened fleshy pad on pectoral base with a free posterior margin; dorsal rays 6-7; anal rays 6; pectoral rays 21-22; caudal rays 7-8.

Greenish brown with intricate pattern of white, blue, and brown spots and intervening yellowish reticulum; 2-3 broad dark brown bars across rear portion of body.

Size: attains 5.4 cm.

Inhabits surge zone along rocky shores.

Depth: 0-15 m.

The Central Gulf of California to southern Mexico.