''Apletodon pellegrini'', the chubby clingfish, is a species of

clingfish Clingfishes are fishes of the family Gobiesocidae, the only family in the order Gobiesociformes. These fairly small to very small fishes are widespread in tropical and temperate regions, mostly near the coast, but a few species in deeper seas or ...

of the family

Gobiesocidae Clingfishes are fishes of the family Gobiesocidae, the only family in the order Gobiesociformes. These fairly small to very small fishes are widespread in tropical and temperate regions, mostly near the coast, but a few species in deeper seas or ...

. The species is found in the Eastern Atlantic, from Madeira, Cape Verde, Canary Islands, Annobon Islands, mainland shore from Cape Blanco south to Port Alfred, South Africa.

Description

The chubby clingfish reaches a length of . It is short with a fat triangular head that tapers to a narrow tail. It ranges from nearly white to pink to dark maroon in colour and may have dark (if mostly pale) or light (if mostly dark) blotches covering its skin. These blotches are not present in all individuals. The pelvic fins are modified to form sucker, which the fish uses to attach itself to smooth, flat surfaces. The anus is surrounded by papillae.Penrith, ML and Penrith, M. J. (1970). Note on the differentiation of two sympatrically occurring clingfishes in the Western Cape. ''South African Journal of Science'', ''66''(12), 392. It usually has a pale line between the eyes. This may form a triangle in some specimens. It has large but rounded incisor-like teeth on both jaws at the front of the mouth, particularly in dult males.

Ecology

Behaviour

This fish has a distinctive J-shaped form when resting, with the tail curled towards the head. They will often attach themselves to the insides of flat shells on the sea floor.

Reproduction

Females lay eggs inside shells at various times during the year. She guards the shell and the transparent eggs inside. After they hatch, small round marks can be seen on the shell to which the eggs were attached. The juveniles hide themselves while they grow and mid-sized fish can be found a couple of weeks later.

Etymology

The cling fish is named in honor of French ichthyologist

Jacques Pellegrin Jacques Pellegrin (12 June 1873, Paris – 12 August 1944) was a French zoologist. In Paris, he worked under zoologist Léon Vaillant (chair of reptiles and fishes) at the ''Muséum national d'histoire naturelle''. From 1897, Pellegrin served ...

(1873-1944).

References

*Briggs, J.C., 1990. Gobiesocidae. p. 474-478. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 1. pellegrini Taxa named by Paul Chabanaud Fish described in 1925 {{Gobiesociformes-stub