This clingfish was on a wreck off Panama City, Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico. It is about 2.5 inches long, and was found at a depth of 60 feet. Any leads on the ID would be appreciated.
Submitted by ben@coralreeffi... on Mon, 11/05/2012 - 12:01.
well, it is an unusual report- especially the 60 feet deep.. both the stippled and the skilletfish are typically found in shallow water. Anyway- the stippled is supposed to be "rare or absent" along the Gulf Coast of Florida and some photos of skilletfishes seem to show the same color pattern- only the confirmation of the papillae around the mouth is diagnostic- and they are sometimes hard to see. But I agree it is likely the Stippled Clingfish. Note that Fishbase IDs are volunteered by anyone and should not be considered confirmed.
When the fishbase photo is submitted by a fish expert, such as Peter Wirtz, I give it more credence. :-) Also, I dive the gulf coast of Florida a lot because it's my home base, and I am always finding stuff that isn't supposed to be here. This year seemed to especially big on unusual finds. I think it could be because we had a milder winter, and then we had greater amounts of sarguassum come in during the spring.
I've been following your posts and enjoy your descriptions of the identifying features.
Gobiesox punctulatus
If Fishbase's photo of Gobiesox punctulatus is correctly identified I would bet it is that.
http://www.fishbase.us/Photos/PicturesSummary.php?resultPage=1&ID=3077&what=species&showAll=yes
Louis
Stippled Clingfish
Louis,
You are absolutely right! I heard the same thing from another source. I totally missed that darker phased photo of the fish on fishbase.
Thanks,
Carol
troublesome clingfishes
well, it is an unusual report- especially the 60 feet deep.. both the stippled and the skilletfish are typically found in shallow water. Anyway- the stippled is supposed to be "rare or absent" along the Gulf Coast of Florida and some photos of skilletfishes seem to show the same color pattern- only the confirmation of the papillae around the mouth is diagnostic- and they are sometimes hard to see. But I agree it is likely the Stippled Clingfish. Note that Fishbase IDs are volunteered by anyone and should not be considered confirmed.
Clingfish
Ben,
When the fishbase photo is submitted by a fish expert, such as Peter Wirtz, I give it more credence. :-) Also, I dive the gulf coast of Florida a lot because it's my home base, and I am always finding stuff that isn't supposed to be here. This year seemed to especially big on unusual finds. I think it could be because we had a milder winter, and then we had greater amounts of sarguassum come in during the spring.
I've been following your posts and enjoy your descriptions of the identifying features.
Carol