Shore Clingfish

The Shore Clingfish, Lepadogaster lepadogaster, is a clingfish of the family Gobiesocidae, found in the eastern Atlantic from Ireland and western Britain, where it is more commonly known as the Cornish Lumpsucker, the subtropical eastern and central Mediterranean westward to Monaco, and possibly in the Black Sea, between latitudes 46° N and 30° N. Its length is up to 2.56 in (65 mm).

The shore clingfish is an inter-tidal species inhabiting rock pools and seaweed covered shores throughout the year, found under rocks and attached to the underside of overhanging rock crevices. The body is vertically flattened with a broad triangular head and ‘duck billed’ snout. The pelvic fins are modified into a sucking disc that allows the shore clingfish to adhere to rocky surfaces. It has large tentacles in front of each nostril and a blue spot outlined in red or dark brown behind each eye. The color of the body varies from reddish to green with irregular brown markings over the dorsal surface.