Smalldisc Clingfish, Pherallodus indicus (Weber 1913)
A Smalldisc Clingfish, Pherallodus indicus, in the Izu Ocean Park, Japan. Source: Izuzuki / www.izuzuki.com. License: CC By Attribution
Summary:
A tiny dark reddish to purplish clingfish with a pattern of fine pale lines enclosing irregular spots and blotches on the top of the head and back, and a broad pale stripe down the snout. Smalldisc Clingfish shelter amongst sea urchin spines at Lord Howe Island.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2026, Pherallodus indicus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 04 Jun 2026, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/5031
Smalldisc Clingfish, Pherallodus indicus (Weber 1913)
More Info
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Distribution |
Recorded from the Lord Howe Island region in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere the species occurs in the East-Indo-west-central Pacific, from the Philippines and Indonesia, north to Japan, south to Lord Howe Island, and east to the Tuamotu Archipelago and Pitcairn Island. Inhabits tide pools, rocky and coral reefs, sometimes in association with the sea urchins Stomopneustes variolaris and Heterocentrus trigonarius. |
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Remarks |
Further work on the clingfishes of Lord Howe Island is required, and identification is tentative for Pherallodus indicus. |
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Species Citation |
Crepidogaster indicus Weber, 1913, Siboga-Expéditie Report 57: 525, fig. 111. Type locality: Sanana Island, Sula Islands. |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2026 |
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Resources |
Smalldisc Clingfish, Pherallodus indicus (Weber 1913)
References
Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.
Briggs, J.C. 1955. A monograph of the clingfishes (order Xenopterygii). Stanford Ichthyological Bulletin 6: 1-224 figs 1-114
Francis, M.P. & Hoese, D.F. 2025. Checklist of the coastal fishes of Lord Howe, Norfolk and Kermadec islands 2025.1. figshare https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.28844246
Masuda, H., Amaoka, K., Araga, C., Uyeno, T. & Yoshino, T. (eds) 1984. The Fishes of the Japanese Archipelago. Tokyo : Tokai University Press Vol. 1–2 437 pp. 247 figs 370 pls.
Randall, J.E. 2005. Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press 707 pp. (image of fish from Lord Howe Island)
Shiogaki, M. & Dotsu, Y. 1983. Two new genera and two new species of clingfishes from Japan, with comments on head sensory canals of the Gobiesocidae. Japanese Journal of Ichthyology 30(2): 111-121. https://doi.org/10.11369/jji1950.30.111
Smith-Vaniz, W.F. & Carpenter, K.E. 2016. Pherallodus indicus (errata version published in 2017). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T67905735A115449187. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T67905735A67906435.en. Accessed on 04 March 2026.
Weber, M. 1913. Die Fische der Siboga-Expedition. Siboga-Expéditie Report 57: 1-710 123 figs 12 pls
