Clingfishes (Gobiesocidae)
General data
- Main name: Clingfishes
Classification
- Order: Gobiesociformes - Clingfishes
- Class: Teleostei - Ray-finned fishes
- Superclass: Osteichthyes - Bony fishes
Description
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 fresh water. Most species shelter in shallow reefs or seagrass beds, clinging to rocks, algae and seagrass leaves with their sucking disc, a structure on their chest. They are generally too small to be of interest to fisheries, although the relatively large Sicyases sanguineus regularly is caught as a food fish, and some of the other species occasionally appear in the marine aquarium trade. Marine, primarily shallow water or inter-tidal, few in fresh water.