Deepwater Clingfish, Kopua kuiteri Hutchins, 1991

Introduction

Kuiter's Deepwater Clingfish has an elongate body with smooth, scaleless skin. The species may occur around much of the southern Australian coastline.

Identification

Kuiter's Deepwater Clingfish has an elongate body with smooth, scaleless skin. It has fleshy lips and close-set eyes. The dorsal and anal fins are positioned opposite each other towards the rear of the body. Hutchins described the colour of the holotype from slides of the fresh fish. It was pale yellowish-brown with numerous irregular shaped orange to red blotches on the head and body. There were several reddish lines and dashes from the eye to the ventral surface and a small purplish ring on the operculum.

The colouration of the fish in the images (AMS I.40824-001) agrees with the original description but the base colour is a pale orange rather than yellowish-brown, and the fish does not have the small purplish ring on the operculum.

Dr J.B. Hutchins is acknowledged for his assistance with the preparation of this page.

Habitat

The holotype was found inside an empty cowrie shell that was trawled at a depth between 92 m and 110 m, off Bermagui, southern New South Wales in August 1980. It was names after its collector, R. Kuiter. The fish in the images on this page was the second known specimen of this species. It was also found in an empty shell that was trawled from off Bermagui.

Distribution

The first specimens were collected off southern New South Wales. Subsequent specimens indicate that the species may occur around much of the southern Australian coastline.

The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Source: Atlas of Living Australia.

References

1. Hutchins, J.B. 1991. Description of a new deepwater clingfish (Gobiesocidae) from New South Wales. Records of the Western Australian Museum. 15(2): 463-468.