Slender Grass Clingfish, Melanophorichthys penicillus Conway, Moore & Summers 2024
Other Names: Slender Clingfish
Slender Grass Clingfish, Melanophorichthys penicillus. Source: Barry Hutchins / Western Australian Museum. License: All rights reserved
Summary:
Males are greenish with brown streaks and blotches along the side, rows of brown spots along the middle of the back, a dark brown line one the side of the snout through the eye to the middle of the gill cover, and a yellowish dorsal fin with a large brown blotch. Females are brownish with a darker line along the midside and faint bars across the back with a dark spot in the middle of each bar.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2025, Melanophorichthys penicillus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 27 Jun 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/5301
Slender Grass Clingfish, Melanophorichthys penicillus Conway, Moore & Summers 2024
More Info
|
Distribution |
Endemic to the southern coast of Western Australia, from the Recherche Archipelago to Jurien Bay. The species is known from four locality: Jurien Bay and Cockburn Sound along the west coast, and Emu Point (Albany) and the Recherche Archipelago along the south coast. Inhabits seagrass beds. |
|
Features |
Dorsal fin 5-6; Anal fin 7-10; Caudal fin (approx) 10-12; Pectoral fin 15-17; Pelvic fin I, 4; Vertebrae 39. Body elongate; caudal peduncle moderately long, slender. Head slightly depressed; snout of moderate length, tapering to a point; eyes of moderate size; mouth small, reaching to below front part of eye, lower jaw much shorter than upper; lips narrow; teeth small, conical; no spine laterally on head; gill openings large, lateral. No scales or lateral line. Single short dorsal fin located posteriorly, widely separated from caudal fin; anal fin similar to and opposite dorsal, neither fin with anterior rays swollen at base; caudal fin rounded. Pectoral fin rounded, no fleshy pad on lower portion of base. Pelvic fins united into small ventral sucking disc, consisting of anterior and posterior halves, posterior edge with fleshy fringe. |
|
Colour |
Males greenish with brown streaks and blotches along sides, and row of brown spots along midline of back; dark brown line along side of snout through eye to preopercular border; dorsal fin yellowish with large brown blotch. Female brownish with darker line along midside and indications of dark cross bars on back, each bar enclosing dark spot on midline of back. |
|
Fisheries |
|
|
Remarks |
The species has been taken in seines and box trawls. |
|
Etymology |
The specific name "Penicillus is the diminutive of the Latin word peniculus (= brush), and the source of the English word pencil. In reference to the slender, pencil-like appearance of the new species." |
|
Species Citation |
Melanophorichthys penicillus Conway, Moore & Summers 2024, Zootaxa 5552(1): 47, Figs. 6E, 30-37. Type locality: Daw Island, Recherche Archipelago, Western Australia, Australia, 33°51'13.1"S, 124°08'02.4"E. |
|
Author |
Bray, D.J. 2025 |
|
Resources |
Slender Grass Clingfish, Melanophorichthys penicillus Conway, Moore & Summers 2024
References
Conway, K.W., Moore, G.I. & Summers, A.P. 2024. A new genus and four new species of seagrass-specialist clingfishes (Teleostei: Gobiesocidae) from temperate southern Australia. Zootaxa 5552(1): 1-66. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5552.1.1
Hutchins, J.B. 1994. Family Gobiesocidae, in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds) The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. 992 pp. (as undescribed Genus C, sp. 2)
Hutchins, J.B. 2008. Family Gobiesocidae. pp. 722-741 in Gomon. M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H (eds) Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp. (as undescribed Genus C, sp. 2)
