COMMENTS
v. 17.0 – 27 April 2024 view/download PDF
Family GOBIESOCIDAE Clingfishes
52 genera · 195 species/subspecies
Subfamily DIPLOCREPINAE
Diplocrepis Günther 1861 diplo-, twofold; crepis, shoe, slipper or sandal, allusion not explained; since ventral (or pelvic) fins are homologous to the feet of terrestrial vertebrates (and often referred to as feet, e.g., pous, in fish names), name may refer to the double-type adhesive disc (modified ventral fins and adjacent tissue) of this genus, figuratively serving as a pair of shoes for the fish (Günther also used crepis for a related genus, Crepidogaster, “shoe belly,” preoccupied in beetles, replaced by Aspasmogaster)
Diplocrepis puniceus (Richardson 1846) reddish, referring to “pure red” color, very pale on same parts and more intense in others, “after long maceration in spirits”
Subfamily LEPADOGASTRINAE
Apletodon Briggs 1955 aplet os, extraordinary (i.e., different); odon, tooth, referring to its teeth, which are “more highly differentiated than in other genera in this subfamily”
Apletodon barbatus Fricke, Wirtz & Brito 2010 bearded, referring to its maxillary barbels, which are “quite conspicuous in males, and characteristic for the species”
Apletodon dentatus dentatus (Facciolà 1887) toothed, presumably referring to two well-developed canines on each side of upper jaw
Apletodon dentatus bacescui (Murgoci 1940) in honor of zoologist Mihai C. Băcescu (1908-1999), Museum of Natural History in Bucharest, who collected type while dredging in the Black Sea and “kindly entrusted” (translation) Murgoci with this material
Apletodon gabonensis Fricke & Wirtz 2018 –ensis, suffix denoting place: off the coast of Gabon, West Africa, type locality
Apletodon incognitus Hofrichter & Patzner 1997 unknown, referring to how this species remained undescribed due to its similarity with A. dentatus and Diplogaster bimaculata
Apletodon pellegrini (Chabanaud 1925) in honor of French ichthyologist Jacques Pellegrin (1873-1944), who, in 1914, demonstrated “wise prudence” in reporting the only adult specimen in good condition of this clingfish that he had at his disposal as Lepadogaster (now Diplecogaster) bimaculatus
Apletodon wirtzi Fricke 2007 in honor of marine biologist Peter Wirtz (b. 1948), Universidade da Madeira (Portugal), who collected numerous “interesting” fish species, including type of this one, in Sao Tome and Principe and other areas of the tropical and temperate Atlantic
Diplecogaster Fraser-Brunner 1938 di-, two; pleco-, folded, pleated or plicate; gaster, belly, referring to double-type adhesive disc
Diplecogaster bimaculata (Bonnaterre 1788) bi-, two; maculatus, spotted, based on “The bimaculated sucker” of Pennant 1769, referring to round black spot on each side of adhesive disc
Diplecogaster ctenocrypta Briggs 1955 ctenos, comb; kryptos, hidden, referring to 18 very small, pointed gill rakers on third gill arch
Diplecogaster euxinica Murgoci 1964 –ica, belonging to: Euxine, historical name for the Black Sea, where this clingfish is endemic
Diplecogaster megalops Briggs 1955 mega-, large; ops, eye, referring to larger eyes (in specimens of comparable size) than D. bimaculata
Diplecogaster pectoralis Briggs 1955 of the breast, proposed as a subspecies of D. bimaculata with a relatively higher number of rays in the pectoral fins
Diplecogaster roseiocula Fricke & Wirtz 2023 roseus, rose; ocula, eyed (correct Latin would be ouculata or ocularis), referring to its pink eyes [emended from roseioculus to agree with feminine gender of genus]
Diplecogaster tonstricula Fricke, Wirtz & Brito 2015 Latin for “little female barber,” referring to its facultative cleaning of larger fishes
Diplecogaster umutturali Bilecenoğlu, Yokeş & Kovačić 2017 in honor of Umut Tural (d. 2012), a “promising conservation biologist passionate for marine life” who was coordinator of the Kas¸-Kekova Specially Protected Area Management Plan and Implementation Project on behalf of WWF-Türkiye, in which he actively participated by collecting clingfish samples (he passed away after a year-long battle with cancer)
Gouania Nardo 1833 –ia, belonging to: the “famous” (translation) Antoine Goüan (1733-1821), French naturalist and pioneer of Linnaean plant taxonomy, who proposed the clingfish genus Lepadogaster in his Historia piscium (1770) [originally spelled Covania, a latinization; corrected spelling, dating to 1864, is in prevailing usage]
Gouania adriatica Wagner, Kovačić & Koblmüller 2020 –ica, belonging to: Adriatic Sea, type locality
Gouania hofrichteri Wagner, Kovačić & Koblmüller 2020 in honor of Robert Hofrichter (b. 1957), University of Salzburg, whose work on European clingfishes sparked the authors’ interest in these “enigmatic” fishes
Gouania orientalis Wagner, Kovačić & Koblmüller 2020 eastern, restricted to the eastern Mediterranean Basin (southern Ionian Sea and Aegean Sea)
Gouania pigra (Nardo 1827) sluggish or slow-moving, allusion not explained, probably referring to rudimentary dorsal and anal fins
Gouania willdenowi (Risso 1810) in honor of German botanist Carl Ludwig Willdenow (1765-1812), following the example of Lepadogaster gouani (=lepadogaster) Walbaum 1792, also named after a botanist (see Gouania, above, and L. candolii, below) [often misspelled wildenowi]
Lecanogaster Briggs 1957 lekos, plate, platter, dish or pan; gaster, stomach or belly, referring to plate-like adhesive disc
Lecanogaster chrysea Briggs 1957 gold, referring to Gold Coast of Ghana, where it appears to be endemic
Lecanogaster gorgoniphila Fricke & Wirtz 2017 philia, affection or fondness, referring to its commensal association with gorgonians
Lepadogaster Goüan 1770 lepados, limpet; gaster, belly, allusion not explained, possibly referring to how adhesive disc of L. lepadogaster looks like an upside-down limpet and/or how the fish uses it to adhere, limpet-like, to stones and other objects [appeared first, without species, so not tautonymous with L. lepadogaster]
Lepadogaster candolii Risso 1810 in honor of Swiss botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle (1778-1841), following the example of Lepadogaster gouani (=lepadogaster) Walbaum 1792, also named after a botanist (see Gouania and G. willdenowi, above)
Lepadogaster lepadogaster (Bonnaterre 1788) named for Lepadogaster, which was proposed without species (see above) [originally misspelled lepodogaster, presumably a misprint; corrected spelling is in prevailing usage]
Lepadogaster purpurea (Bonnaterre 1788) purple, referring to dark-red color (presumably its spots) in life; Bonnaterre based his description on Borlase’s Natural History of Cornwall (1758), where this “suck-fish” was described as “purple coloured”
Opeatogenys Briggs 1955 opeatos, an awl; genys, cheek, referring to strong, pointed subopercular spine of O. gracilis
Opeatogenys cadenati Briggs 1957 in honor of French ichthyologist Jean Cadenat (1908-1992), Director, Marine Biological Section of the Institut Français d’Afrique Noire (Gorée, Senegal), for his “excellent work” on the fishes of Senegal and his “kindness” in sending Briggs a “fine” collection of clingfishes from West Africa
Opeatogenys gracilis (Canestrini 1864) thin or slender, referring to “very depressed” (translation) head and body (up to anus)
Subfamily CHORISOCHISMINAE
Chorisochismus Brisout de Barneville 1846 choristos, separate or distinct; [s]chisma, slot (i.e., gill opening), referring to wide gill openings extending under throat, the membranes of which form a fold across the throat, fusing medially with the isthmus
Chorisochismus dentex (Pallas 1769) with large teeth, referring to large, conical teeth at front of both jaws
Eckloniaichthys Smith 1943 Ecklonia, genus of sea-bamboo (kelp) in which it occurs; ichthys, fish
Eckloniaichthys scylliorhiniceps Smith 1943 skylion, Greek for dogfish or small shark, probably from skyllo, to tear or mangle; rhinus, snout; ceps, head, referring to pointed snout and “distinctly ‘Selachian’” shape of head
Subfamily HAPLOCYLICINAE
Gastrocyathus Briggs 1955 gaster, belly; cyathus, cup, referring to adhesive disc common to clingfishes (except Alabes)
Gastrocyathus gracilis Briggs 1955 slender or thin, referring to slender, anteriorly depressed body
Gastrocymba Briggs 1955 gaster, belly; cymba, cup, referring to adhesive disc common to clingfishes (except Alabes)
Gastrocymba quadriradiata (Rendahl 1926) quadri-, four; radiata, rayed, presumably referring to four rays on dorsal and anal fins (originally spelled “4-radiatus”; correction is mandatory)
Gymnoscyphus Böhlke & Robins 1970 gymnos, bare or naked; skyphos, cup (i.e., disc), referring to lack of papillae on adhesive disc
Gymnoscyphus ascitus Böhlke & Robins 1970 foreign or alien, referring to distribution in the Lesser Antilles, far from its closest relatives in Haplocyclix, known only from New Zealand
Haplocylix Briggs 1955 haplos, single; culix, cup, referring to single- instead of double-type adhesive disc
Haplocylix littoreus (Forster 1801) littoral (i.e., close to shore), referring to its occurrence “between the rocks along the coast” (translation) of New Zealand, where it is endemic
Subfamily PROTOGOBIESOCINAE
Gastroscyphus Briggs 1955 gaster, belly; scyphus, cup, referring to referring to adhesive disc common to clingfishes (except Alabes)
Gastroscyphus hectoris (Günther 1876) –is, genitive singular of: James Hector (1834-1907), Director, Geological Survey of New Zealand, who presented type to the British Museum
Kopua Hardy 1984 New Zealand Maori word for “deep water,” referring to the “considerable depths (for gobiesocids)” from which K. nuimata has been taken
Kopua kuiteri Hutchins 1991 in honor of Australian underwater photographer Rudolf “Rudie” Kuiter (b. 1943), who collected type and provided color transparencies showing its life coloration
Kopua minima (Döderlein 1887) smallest, presumably referring to its size, described at 23 mm (but reaches 50 mm SL)
Kopua nuimata Hardy 1984 New Zealand Maori words nui meaning “big” and mata meaning “eye,” referring to its relatively large eyes
Kopua vermiculata Shinohara & Katayama 2015 vermiculate (wormy), referring to shape of markings on body
Kopua yoko Fujiwara, Okamoto & Motomura 2018 named for the Seikai National Fisheries Research Institute research vessel Yoko-maru, from which type was collected
Protogobiesox Fricke, Chen & Chen 2016 protos, first; Gobiesox, type genus of family, referring to how its rudimentary pelvic fins resemble the putative ancestral form of clingfishes
Protogobiesox asymmetricus Fricke, Chen & Chen 2016 named for unusual asymmetry of head and body (rare in fishes)
Subfamily CHEILOBRANCHINAE Shore-Eels
cheilos, lip; branchus, gill, from Cheilobranchus Richardson 1845 (now a junior synonym of Alabes), referring to “little role or lip on the hinder edge” of gill opening of A. dorsalis
Alabes Cloquet 1816 Greek word for a fish of the Nile so slippery that it cannot be grasped (i.e., an eel), applied by Cuvier for these eel-like fishes in a manuscript name first published by Cloquet
Alabes bathys Hutchins 2006 deep, referring to its deepwater habitat (160-348 m)
Alabes brevis Springer & Fraser 1976 short, referring to reduced number of vertebrae compared to congeners
Alabes dorsalis (Richardson 1845) dorsal or of the back, allusion not explained, possibly referring to a “straight furrow” running from head to base of caudal fin, “coincident with the spine”
Alabes elongata Hutchins & Morrison 2004 elongate, referring to relatively slender body compared to relatively robust A. dorsalis
Alabes gibbosa Hutchins & Morrison 2004 humpbacked, referring to its deep body, which usually exhibits a gibbous dorsal profile
Alabes hoesei Springer & Fraser 1976 in honor of ichthyologist Douglass F. Hoese (b. 1942), Australian Museum (Sydney), who provided much of the material upon which the authors’ study is based
Alabes obtusirostris Hutchins & Morrison 2004 obtusus, blunt; rostris, snout, referring to blunt snout, rather truncate in dorsal view
Alabes occidentalis Hutchins & Morrison 2004 western, referring to its occurrence in south Western Australia
Alabes parvula (McCulloch 1909) very small, described at 47 mm; when first collected, McCulloch supposed it to be the larval form of some larger species
Alabes scotti Hutchins & Morrison 2004 in honor of the late Eric Oswald Gale Scott (1899-1986), science teacher, museum director, ichthyologist and pacifist (Launceston, Tasmania), who first brought this species to the senior author’s attention in 1982 when he provided a rough illustration of a clingfish he believed was undescribed; unfortunately, he never pursued his plan to describe it and his specimens have not been located
Alabes springeri Hutchins 2006 in honor of ichthyologist Victor G. Springer (b. 1928), U.S. National Museum, who, with Thomas Fraser, first reported the apparent uniqueness of this species in 1976
Barryichthys Conway, Moore & Summers 2019 Barry, in honor of ichthyologist J. Barry Hutchins (b. 1946), Western Australian Museum, for his work on Australian clingfishes; ichthys, fish
Barryichthys algicola Conway, Moore & Summers 2019 alga, algae; cola, inhabitant, referring to its habitat, subtidal fields of macroalgae
Barryichthys hutchinsi Conway, Moore & Summers 2019 in honor of ichthyologist J. Barry Hutchins (b. 1946), Western Australian Museum, who discovered this species
Cochleoceps Whitley 1943 cochlear, spoon; ceps, head, referring to spatulate snout of C. spatula
Cochleoceps bassensis Hutchins 1983 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Bass Strait, separating Tasmania from the Australian mainland, where this clingfish occurs
Cochleoceps bicolor Hutchins 1991 bi-, two, referring to two-tone body coloration (reddish anteriorly, dusky posteriorly)
Cochleoceps orientalis Hutchins 1991 eastern, referring to its distribution on the eastern side of Australia
Cochleoceps spatula (Günther 1861) spoon or paddle, referring to broad, long and much-depressed snout
Cochleoceps viridis Hutchins 1991 green, referring to predominantly green (apple green to pale green) coloration in life
Nettorhamphos Conway, Moore & Summers 2017 netta, duck; rhamphos, bill or curved beak, referring to upper jaw much wider and longer than lower jaw
Nettorhamphos radula Conway, Moore & Summers 2017 a tool used for scraping, referring to many tiny conical teeth on lingual surface of premaxilla and dentary, which are reminiscent of the radula of a snail
Parvicrepis Whitley 1931 etymology not explained, probably a combination of parvus, small, referring to its size and/or its type species, P. parvipinnis, and Diplocrepis, original genus of that species
Parvicrepis parvipinnis (Waite 1906) parvus, small; pinnis, fin, allusion not explained nor evident; Briggs (1955) reports that dorsal and anal fins are both short; parvus may also refer to its overall size, described at 64 mm TL
Posidonichthys Briggs 1993 Posidonia, genus of seagrasses, referring to its occurrence on the leaves of P. australis; ichthys, fish
Posidonichthys hutchinsi Briggs 1993 in honor of ichthyologist J. Barry Hutchins (b. 1946), Western Australian Museum, for his “excellent work” on Australian clingfishes
Subfamily TRACHELOCHISMINAE
Dellichthys Briggs 1955 named for malacologist Richard Kenneth Dell (1920-2002), Dominion (now Te Papa) Museum (Wellington, New Zealand), for his interest in the shore fishes of New Zealand and his generosity in providing Briggs with “material of great value” for his monograph; ichthys, fish
Dellichthys morelandi Briggs 1955 in honor of Jack Munne Moreland (1921-2012), Dominion (now Te Papa) Museum (Wellington, New Zealand), for the loan of fishes he helped collect, and because of his interest in the shore fishes of New Zealand
Dellichthys trnskii Conway, Stewart & Summers 2018 in honor of marine biologist Tom Trnski (b. 1963), Head of Natural Sciences, Auckland Museum (New Zealand), who played a key role in the discovery of this species by collecting in depths beyond the reach of the first author
Trachelochismus Brisout de Barneville 1846 trachelos, neck; [s]chisma, slot (i.e., gill opening), referring to how gills of T. pinnulatus occupy entire width of throat above anterior adhesive disc
Trachelochismus aestuarium Conway, Stewart & King 2017 named for its occurrence in bay and estuarine areas of New Zealand
Trachelochismus melobesia Phillipps 1927 presumably referring to the encrusting red algae Melobesia membranacea; Phillipps said “specific name has particular reference to the rose-coloured patch [on dorsal surface] by which the species may readily be distinguished”
Trachelochismus pinnulatus (Forster 1801) with pinnules, referring to extended, tubular nostrils with flaps that look like pinnules (Ronald Fricke, pers. comm.)
Subfamily DIADEMICHTHYINAE
Aspasma Jordan & Fowler 1902 aspasmos, an embrace, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to how clingfishes firmly cling to loose stones between the tide marks by means of their adhesive disc
Aspasma ubauo Fujiwara & Motomura 2019 standard Japanese name of this species
Aspasmichthys Briggs 1955 Aspasma, closely related to that genus; ichthys, fish
Aspasmichthys ciconiae (Jordan & Fowler 1902) of the stork genus Ciconia, referring to a line from a well-known Japanese poem that mentions Wakanoura, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan (type locality): “On the shores of Waka / When the tide flows in, / Dry land being none, / Toward the place of reeds / The storks fly crying.” (translation)
Aspasmodes Smith 1957 –odes, having the form of: “closely related” to Aspasma
Aspasmodes briggsi Smith 1957 in honor of John C. “Jack” Briggs (1920-2018), then at the University of Florida, “in appreciation of his magnificent [1955] monograph of the Clingfishes, which is a boon to ichthyologists everywhere”
Diademichthys Pfaff 1942 Diadema, genus of sea urchins, among the venomous spines of which it is “constantly seen”; ichthys, fish
Diademichthys lineatus (Sauvage 1883) lined, referring to a light-colored line from tip of snout to base of dorsal fin, and lines of the same color under the belly and on the sides
Discotrema Briggs 1976 diskos, disc; trema, hole, referring to deep cavity in adhesive disc
Discotrema crinophilum Briggs 1976 krinon, lily (in this case, a sea-lily); philia, friendly love, referring to its commensal relationship with crinoids (especially Comanthus bennetti)
Discotrema monogrammum Craig & Randall 2008 mono-, one; gramme, line, referring to one continuous pale-yellow to white stripe, compared to D. crinophilum, which has two stripes
Discotrema nigrum (Fricke 2014) black, referring to jet-black color of head, eyes, body, belly, and fins in life
Discotrema zonatum Craig & Randall 2008 banded, referring to irregular brown bars on body
Erdmannichthys Conway, Fujiwara, Motomura & Summers 2021 in honor of marine biologist Mark V. Erdmann (b. 1968), Conservation International, Indonesia Marine Program, for his work on Indo-Pacific reef fishes (he also co-described E. alorensis in 2012)
Erdmannichthys alorensis (Allen & Erdmann 2012) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Alor Group of Islands, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia, type locality
Flabellicauda Fujiwara, Conway & Motomura 2021 flabellum, an anatomical term for a body organ or part that resembles a fan; cauda, tail, referring to fan-like shape of hypural plate
Flabellicauda akiko (Allen & Erdmann 2012) in memory of Akiko Shiraki Dynner, who had a “lifelong attachment to the ocean,” and whose husband Alan has been a strong supporter of marine conservation initiatives in the Bird’s Head Seascape, which encompasses Cenderawasih Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, where this clingfish is endemic [a noun in apposition, without the matronymic “ae”]
Flabellicauda alleni Fujiwara, Conway & Motomura 2021 in honor of ichthyologist Gerald R. Allen (b. 1942), Western Australia Museum (Perth), for his “great” contributions to the systematics of tropical-reef fishes of the East Indies (he also co-described F. akiko in 2012)
Flabellicauda bolini (Briggs 1962) in honor of ichthyologist Rolf Bolin (1901-1973), Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, “primarily in recognition for his contributions to systematic ichthyology and secondarily because he collected the type specimen”
Flabellicauda cometes Fujiwara, Conway & Motomura 2021 Latin for comet, referring to bold white stripe along dorsal midline, reminiscent of the trailing tail of a traveling comet against the night sky
Flexor Conway, Stewart, Summers & 2018 anatomical term for muscles, referring to the great flexibility of clingfishes, many of which have the ability to bend the body so that the tail end comes to lie close to the head
Flexor incus Conway, Stewart, Summers & 2018 anvil, referring to anvil-like outline of Raoul Island (type locality), largest island in the Kermadec archipelago
Lepadichthys Waite 1904 lepad-, apparently from Lepadogaster, referring to how two characters of L. frenatus (long vertical fins, identical number of vertebrae) agree with that genus; ichthys, fish
Lepadichthys bilineatus Craig, Bogorodsky & Randall 2015 bi-, two; lineatus, lined, referring to two parallel bluish-white lines that extend posteriorly across head
Lepadichthys coccinotaenia Regan 1921 coccineus, scarlet; taenia, band, referring to scarlet stripe through eye to operculum
Lepadichthys conwayi Fujiwara & Motomura 2020 in honor of Kevin Conway, Texas A&M University (College Station, Texas, USA), for his recent contributions to the systematics of clingfishes
Lepadichthys ctenion Briggs & Link 1963 diminutive of ctenos, comb, referring to relatively poorly developed gill rakers
Lepadichthys erythraeus Briggs & Link 1963 red, referring to Mare Erythraeum, ancient name for Red Sea, where this clingfish is endemic
Lepadichthys frenatus Waite 1904 bridled, presumably referring to bright-scarlet streak that passes through eye towards upper margin of opercle
Lepadichthys misakius (Tanaka 1908) –ius, belonging to: Misaki, Miura, Kanagawa, Japan, type locality (also occurs off Taiwan and Viêt Nam)
Lepadichthys sandaracatus Whitley 1943 sandarac, the orange-red sulfide of arsenic, presumably referring to uniform yellowish or carmine coloration in alcohol
Lepadichthys trishula Fujiwara, Hagiwara & Motomura 2020 trident, referring to three narrow white stripes on head to anterior body, including two on sides and one on dorsal midline
Lepadicyathus Prokofiev 2005 lepa-, referring to external similarity to Lepadichthys; di-, two and cyathus, cup, referring to double-type adhesive disc
Lepadicyathus minor (Briggs 1955) smaller, a “very small” species (16.7 mm SL) that had been “unrecognized until now probably only because of its small size”
Liobranchia Briggs 1955 leios, smooth; branchia, gills, referring to smooth gill arches, the gill rakers entirely absent
Liobranchia stria Briggs 1955 furrow, referring to prominent vertical furrows between ridges on sides, a “most peculiar and highly modified species,” having little resemblance to any other clingfish, similar to the extinct trichomycterid catfish Rhizosomichthys totae
Lissonanchus Smith 1966 etymology not explained, perhaps lissos, smooth and [br]anchos, gill or ankos, bend or hollow, referring to rudimentary gill rakers
Lissonanchus hastingsi (Craig & Randall 2009) in honor of Philip A. Hastings (b. 1951), Scripps Institute of Oceanography, thesis advisor of the first author, and who initially aroused his curiosity in clingfishes
Lissonanchus lusheri Smith 1966 in honor of Mrs. D. N. Lusher of Brakpan, South Africa, for collecting type and sending it to Smith [preferably spelled lusherae since name honors a woman, but ICZN 32.5.1 forbids such a correction]
Pherallodichthys Shiogaki & Dotsu 1983 Pherallodus, presumed to be related to that genus; ichthys, fish
Pherallodichthys meshimaensis Shiogaki & Dotsu 1983 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Meshima Island, part of the Danjo Islands, off west coast of Kyushu, Japan, type locality
Pherallodus Briggs 1955 phero-, to bear; allos, different; odous, tooth, referring to a single row of compressed, incisor-like teeth in each jaw (different from patches of conical teeth seen in most other genera in the subfamily)
Pherallodus indicus (Weber 1913) Indian, believed to have been first member of its genus, Crepidogaster (=Aspasmogaster), from the Indo-Australian Archipelago
Propherallodus Shiogaki & Dotsu 1983 pro-, before, forward or in front of; Pherallodus, a related genus, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to preopercular sensory canal openings, absent on Pherallodus
Propherallodus briggsi Shiogaki & Dotsu 1983 in honor of John C. “Jack” Briggs (1920-2018), then at the University of South Florida, for “valuable” suggestions on the determination of P. briggsi as an undescribed species and his “critical reading” of the authors’ manuscript
Propherallodus longipterus Fujiwara & Motomura 2019 longus, long; pterus, fin, referring to longer dorsal and anal fins compared to P. briggsi
Propherallodus smithi (Briggs 1955) in honor of ichthyologist-chemist J.L.B. Smith (1897-1968), Rhodes University (Grahamstown, South Africa), who “kindly” sent specimens of rare clingfishes to Briggs; “It is fitting that this African species be named after one who has contributed so much to the ichthyology of the area.”
Rhinolepadichthys Fujiwara, Motomura, Summers & Conway 2024 rhinos, nose, referring to their pointed snout; Lepadichthys, a related genus without a pointed snout
Rhinolepadichthys geminus (Fujiwara & Motomura 2021) Latin for twin or double, referring to two yellow stripes under the abdomen and its close morphological similarity to L. lineatus, with which it had previously been identified
Rhinolepadichthys heemstraorum (Fujiwara & Motomura 2021) –orum, commemorative suffix, plural: in honor of the late Phillip C. Heemstra (1941-2019), South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, an “esteemed” ichthyologist, and his wife Elaine, who collected type specimens and those of L. polyastrous
Rhinolepadichthys lineatus (Briggs 1966) lined, referring to pattern of yellow-orange lines (white in alcohol) extending longitudinally along body
Rhinolepadichthys polyastrous (Fujiwara & Motomura 2021) poly, many; astrous, stars, referring to many characteristic yellow dots on body
Subfamily GOBIESOCINAE
Acyrtops Schultz 1951 ops, appearance, referring to similarity to (and previous confusion with) Acyrtus
Acyrtops amplicirrus Briggs 1955 amplus, large; cirrus, curl or tendril (but in this case, per Briggs, meaning crest), referring to large crest on border of anterior nostril
Acyrtops beryllinus (Hildebrand & Ginsburg 1927) like the mineral beryl, referring to bright emerald-green color in life
Acyrtus Schultz 1944 a-, without; kyrtos, curved, referring to what Schultz believed was the absence of a dorsal curve on premaxillary groove (a trait common to all American clingfishes except Rimicola) over snout of A. rubiginosus, which he mistakenly treated as a senior synonym of Gobiesox beryllinus; Schultz corrected his error in 1951 by proposing Acyrtops for G. rubiginosus, thereby creating in Acyrtus a genus whose name refers to a character it does not possess
Acyrtus artius Briggs 1955 perfect, referring to presence of papillae in “disc region C” (unlike A. rubiginosus)
Acyrtus arturo Tavera, Rojas-Vélez & Londoño-Cruz 2021 in honor of marine biologist Arturo Acero Pizarro (b. 1954), Universidad Nacional de Colombia, for his contributions to the knowledge of neotropical fishes, and for mentoring many generations of ichthyologists, including the senior author [a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]
Acyrtus lanthanum Conway, Baldwin & White 2014 to lie hidden or escape notice, referring to how it had previously been confused with a close relative, A. artius
Acyrtus pauciradiatus Sampaio, de Anchieta, Nunes & Mendes 2004 paucus, few; radiatus, rayed, referring to fewer dorsal-, anal- and pectoral-fin rays compared to congeners
Acyrtus rubiginosus (Poey 1868) rusty, referring to its reddish color (also has a red border around eyes)
Acyrtus simon Gasparini & Pinheiro 2022 in honor of “ichthyologist friend” Thiony Emanuel Simon, “who dedicated his career to study reef fishes, especially the fish biodiversity of the Vitória-Trindade Chain” (western Atlantic), where this clingfish occurs [a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]
Arcos Schultz 1944 bow, referring to arched groove at tip of snout
Arcos decoris Briggs 1969 ornamented, elegant or beautiful, allusion not explained, described as “very pale and translucent with no signs of pigmentation” in alcohol
Arcos erythrops (Jordan & Gilbert 1882) erythros, red; ops, eye, referring to eyes “intensely cherry red, their upper border blackish”
Arcos nudus (Linnaeus 1758) bare or naked, referring to smooth, scaleless body (a trait common to all clingfishes), compared to the Lumpfish, Cyclopterus lumpus, its presumed congener at the time
Arcos poecilophthalmos (Jenyns 1842) poecilio-, varicolored; ophthalmos, eye, referring to traces of blue and golden pink in iris of type specimen in spirits, which must have been “very brilliant” in life
Arcos rhodospilus (Günther 1864) rhodo-, rosy; spilos, spot, referring to dark-rose transverse spots, each having an edge of deep-red dots, on a rose-colored body
Derilissus Briggs 1969 dere, neck or throat; lissos, smooth or polished, referring to absence of gill-membrane fold across throat of D. nanus
Derilissus altifrons Smith-Vaniz 1971 altus, high or tall; frons, forehead, referring to nearly vertical lateral profile of snout, forming nearly a right angle with ventral profile of head
Derilissus kremnobates Fraser 1970 kremnos, cliff or precipice; bates, a frequenter, referring to type locality, a nearly vertical slope (60-85˚) at Arrowsmith Bank, Caribbean Sea
Derilissus lombardii Sparks & Gruber 2012 in honor of contract diver Michael Lombardi (b. 1979), who collected type as member of deep-diving team in the Bahamas
Derilissus nanus Briggs 1969 dwarf, with apparently mature adults ranging from 11.3 to 14.0 mm SL
Derilissus vittiger Fraser 1970 vitta, band or stripe; –iger, to bear, referring to five scarlet-red lines on head
Gobiesox Lacepède 1800 combination of gobius, referring to what Lacepéde perceived as its “many connections” (translation, i.e., close relationship) with gobies, and esox, pike (Esociformes), referring to pike-like posterior placement of dorsal fin, near the tail
Gobiesox adustus Jordan & Gilbert 1882 brown or swarthy, referring to any or all of the following: brown body, banded with blackish; head marbled with darker brown; front of dorsal black; fins dusky with dark points
Gobiesox aethus (Briggs 1951) of a red-brown color, referring to very small red-brown dots covering dorsal and lateral surfaces
Gobiesox barbatulus Starks 1913 diminutive of barbatus, bearded, i.e., a small beard, referring to thick barbels or fleshy papillae on lips and scattered over anterior portion of lower head
Gobiesox canidens (Briggs 1951) canis, dog; dens, tooth, referring to large canine teeth in lower jaw
Gobiesox cephalus Lacepède 1800 head, referring to large head, wider than body
Gobiesox crassicorpus (Briggs 1951) crassus, thick or heavy; corpus, body, referring to its deep body, 4.3 in SL compared to 5.0-6.5 in G. multitentaculus and G. papillifer
Gobiesox daedaleus daedaleus Briggs 1951 spotted or dappled, referring to dorsal and lateral sides even covered with small, close-set, light-brown spots
Gobiesox daedaleus boreus Briggs 1955 northern, presumably referring to its distribution, slightly north of G. d. brachysoma
Gobiesox daedaleus brachysoma Briggs 1951 brachys, short; soma, body, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its “fairly depressed” body, its depth 6.5 (6.0-7.0) in SL
Gobiesox eugrammus Briggs 1955 eu-, well or very; gramme, line (but in this case, per Briggs, meaning letter, mark or picture), allusion not explained, presumably referring to pale and translucent body with “only a few pigment spots in the form of small, dark-brown dots scattered over the dorsal surface and on the vertical fins,” and several such dots at base of pectoral fin
Gobiesox fluviatilis Briggs & Miller 1960 of a river, referring to its occurrence in high mountain streams
Gobiesox fulvus Meek 1907 brownish yellow, referring to nearly uniform brownish coloration
Gobiesox funebris Gilbert 1890 funereal, i.e., clothed in black, referring to “dark olive-brown to black” body color above, blackish below
Gobiesox juniperoserrai Espinosa Pérez & Castro-Aguirre 1996 in honor of Junípero Serra, born Miguel José Serra Ferrer (1713-1784), Jesuit missionary, evangelizer, and explorer of the Alta and Baja California region of México (where this clingfish is endemic)
Gobiesox juradoensis Fowler 1944 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Río Juradó, Chocó Province, Colombia, type locality
Gobiesox lanceolatus Hastings & Conway 2017 spear-like, referring to its lanceolate caudal fin
Gobiesox lucayanus Briggs 1963 –anus, belonging to: Lucayan Indians, who inhabited the Bahamas (where this clingfish is endemic) when Columbus landed there on 12 October 1492
Gobiesox maeandricus (Girard 1858) meandering, allusion not explained; according to Jordan & Evermann (1898), referring to brownish-orange “reticulated streaks” all over body described as a “beautiful mesh work of black lines” by Girard)
Gobiesox marijeanae Briggs 1960 in honor of the yacht Marijean, owned by Canadian forester and philanthropist H. R. MacMillan (1885-1976), for the “many valuable fish collections which have been made during the cruises of this vessel to the tropical Eastern Pacific,” including type of this clingfsh
Gobiesox marmoratus Jenyns 1842 marbled or mottled, presumably referring to light-brown body color, “reticulated with black: the reticulations have a tendency to form three or four broad fasciae across the back”
Gobiesox mexicanus Briggs & Miller 1960 Mexican, referring to its distribution in Pacific Slope streams of Guerrero, Jalisco, Nayarit and Oaxaca
Gobiesox milleri Briggs 1955 in honor of ichthyologist Robert Rush Miller (1916-2003), University of Michigan, who noted the unusual appearance of the holotype and “kindly” sent it to Briggs for examination
Gobiesox multitentaculus (Briggs 1951) multi-, many; tentaculus, tentacled, referring to well-developed papillae on head, some of them forming finger-like projections
Gobiesox nigripinnis (Peters 1859) nigri-, black; pinnis, fin, referring to black (or dark) dorsal, anal and caudal fins (with white edges)
Gobiesox papillifer Gilbert 1890 papillo, papilla; -iger, to bear, referring to fleshy papillae on lips and lower anterior side of head
Gobiesox pinniger Gilbert 1890 pinnis, fin; fero, to bear, allusion not explained but probably referring to longer dorsal fin (16-17 rays vs. 4-13) compared to congeners
Gobiesox potamius Briggs 1955 of a river, referring to its freshwater habitat
Gobiesox punctulatus (Poey 1876) diminutive of punctum, spot, referring to brown body covered with black dots
Gobiesox rhessodon Smith 1881 rhesso, to make ragged; odon, tooth, presumably referring to tricuspid incisors of lower jaw, the central cusp longest [author is Rosa Smith Eigenmann]
Gobiesox schultzi Briggs 1951 in honor of Leonard P. Schultz (1901-1986), Curator of Fishes at the U. S. National Museum, for his “significant” 1944 revision of American clingfishes, which “brought order out of a group which was almost hopelessly confused”
Gobiesox stenocephalus Briggs 1955 stenos, narrow; cephalus, head, referring to “short and narrow” head with a “rather long” snout
Gobiesox strumosus Cope 1870 strumose, i.e., swollen like a tumor, referring to wide head, “produced by a large fleshy mass which extends from the end of the prominent extremity of the maxillary bone to the end of the interoperculum”
Gobiesox varius (Briggs 1955) different, referring to its “peculiar” sexual dimorphism, in which lower pectoral- and ventral-fin rays of males are considerably elongated and swollen at the tips
Gobiesox woodsi (Schultz 1944) in honor of Loren P. Woods (1914-1979), Curator of Fishes, Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago), who tentatively suggested this species was undescribed when he learned that Schultz was studying American clingfishes (Schultz did not honor Woods as a curator but as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserve)
Rimicola Jordan & Evermann 1896 rima, crevice; cola, to inhabit, allusion not explained, presumably referring to habitat of R. muscarum, said by Jordan & Evermann (1898) to live “below tide marks,” and said by Briggs (1955) to inhabit kelp beds
Rimicola cabrilloi Briggs 2002 in honor of Spanish explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo (1497-1543), the first European to view the California coast; he is reputed to have been buried at San Miguel Island, which lies within this clingfish’s range
Rimicola dimorpha Briggs 1955 di-, two; morpha, form, referring to urogenital papillae, “relatively enormous” in males, their length about equal to depth of body in region of anus
Rimicola eigenmanni (Gilbert 1890) in honor of ichthyologist Carl H. Eigenmann (1863-1927)
Rimicola muscarum (Meek & Pierson 1895) of flies, allusion not explained, according to Jordan & Evermann (1898) referring to brownish-red fly-speck markings on upper body
Rimicola sila Briggs 1955 silus, snub-nosed, referring to “cut-off appearance” of snout
Sicyases Müller & Troschel 1843 sikya, cupping glass (or suction cup), referring to cup-like adhesive disc
Sicyases brevirostris (Guichenot 1848) brevis, short; rostris, snout, referring to short, blunt and conical snout
Sicyases hildebrandi Schultz 1944 in honor of Samuel F. Hildebrand (1883-1949), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for his “numerous and valuable” contributions to ichthyology; in addition, Hildebrand, while working on his 1946 monograph on the shore fishes of Peru, noticed that this species was new and suggested that Schultz describe it
Sicyases sanguineus Müller & Troschel 1843 blood-red, referring to mottled reddish-brown body coloration
Tomicodon Brisout de Barneville 1846 tomikos, incisor; odon, tooth, referring to four pairs of incisors at front of each jaw of T. chilensis
Tomicodon absitus Briggs 1955 distant, referring to its isolated distribution (known only from the Revillagigedo Islands, off western México)
Tomicodon abuelorum Szelistowski 1990 –orum, commemorative suffix, plural: abuel, Spanish for grandparent, in honor of the author’s grandparents, Irma Drescher and Martha and Telford Whitaker, for the role they played in his development of an appreciation for nature, and their support for his attempt to pursue that interest professionally
Tomicodon australis Briggs 1955 southern, proposed as a southern (Atlantic off southeastern Brazil) subspecies of T. fasciatus
Tomicodon bidens Briggs 1969 bi-, two; dens, teeth, referring to simple or bifid rather than trifid incisors
Tomicodon boehlkei Briggs 1955 in honor of ichthyologist James E. Böhlke (1930-1982), Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, for his kindness in making an extensive collection of clingfishes in the Gulf of California during the 1952 Sefton-Stanford Orca Expedition
Tomicodon briggsi Williams & Tyler 2003 in honor of John C. “Jack” Briggs (1920-2018), Georgia Museum of Natural History, for his “pioneering” 1955 monograph on clingfish systematics
Tomicodon chilensis Brisout de Barneville 1846 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Valparaiso, Chile, type locality (but no types known)
Tomicodon clarkei Williams & Tyler 2003 in honor of Raymond D. Clarke, Sarah Lawrence College (Bronxville, New York, USA), who collected type during his studies of the behavioral ecology of chaenopsid blennies at Carrie Bow Cay, Belize
Tomicodon cryptus Williams & Tyler 2003 hidden or secret, referring to its cryptic coloration, which conceals specimens in their habitat
Tomicodon eos eos (Jordan & Gilbert 1882) after Eos, goddess of morning-glow, referring to bright rosy-red color
Tomicodon eos rhadinus Briggs 1955 slender or tapering, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to more slender caudal peduncle compared to T. e. eos
Tomicodon fasciatus (Peters 1859) banded, presumably referring to heavy, blackish (or dark-brown) bars on sides
Tomicodon humeralis (Gilbert 1890) to the shoulder (humerus), referring to conspicuous round humeral spot, larger than eye, black in life with golden reflections
Tomicodon lavettsmithi Williams & Tyler 2003 in honor of C. Lavett Smith (1927-2015), Emeritus Curator of Ichthyology at the American Museum of Natural History, for his many contributions to the systematics and behavioral ecology of Caribbean reef fishes and for his leadership of the Pelican Cays fish survey, during which most of the known specimens of this species were collected
Tomicodon leurodiscus Williams & Tyler 2003 leuros, smooth; discus, plate, referring to smooth anterior margin of adhesive disc
Tomicodon myersi Briggs 1955 in honor of Stanford University ichthyologist George S. Myers (1905-1985), for his many contributions to the knowledge of the fishes of the Eastern Pacific, and for his assistance with Briggs’ monograph
Tomicodon petersii (Garman 1875) honor of Wilhelm C. H. Peters (1815-1883), the “very eminent zoologist … of Berlin”
Tomicodon prodomus Briggs 1955 before, preceding or early, considered to be the most primitive member of its genus
Tomicodon reitzae Briggs 2001 in honor of anthropologist and and zooarchaeologist Elizabeth J. Reitz, Director Georgia Museum of Natural History (where Briggs worked); the “museum is a university- and state-supported institution where research collections are maintained and systematic work is encouraged” [originally spelled reitzi; since name honors a woman, reitzae reflects the correct gender]
Tomicodon rhabdotus Smith-Vaniz 1969 striped, referring to distinctive pattern of narrow, pale, vertical stripes on posterior half of body
Tomicodon rupestris (Poey 1860) rock-dwelling, “found in the hollows of the rocks along the sea” (translation), i.e., rocky surge-zone habitat
Tomicodon vermiculatus Briggs 1955 vermiculated (wormy), referring to fine network of vermiculations on dorsum
Tomicodon zebra (Jordan & Gilbert 1882 to its banded (i.e., zebra-like) coloration
Subfamily Incertae sedis
Aspasmogaster Waite 1907 aspasmos, an embrace; gaster, belly, allusion not explained, probably referring to how clingfishes firmly cling to loose stones between the tide marks by means of an adhesive disc on their ventral surface
Aspasmogaster costata (Ogilby 1885) ribbed, referring to 10 “strongly marked vertical ridges on each side, caused by the contraction of the muscles after death, but not present in the living fish”
Aspasmogaster liorhynchus Briggs 1955 leios, smooth; rhynchus, snout, referring to lack of accessory fold of tissue across tip of snout, the region behind premaxillary groove being smooth
Aspasmogaster occidentalis Hutchins 1984 western, referring to its geographical distribution (western side of Western Australia)
Aspasmogaster tasmaniensis (Günther 1861) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Tasmania, Australia, type locality (also occurs in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia)
Conidens Briggs 1955 conus, cone; dens, teeth, referring to patches of small, conical teeth toward front of each jaw
Conidens laticephalus (Tanaka 1909) latus, wide; cephalus, head, “its width about 4 in length as measured to root of middle caudal rays”
Conidens samoensis (Steindachner 1906) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Upolu, Samoa Islands, type locality (occurs in Western Pacific from New Caledonia, New Hebrides and Fiji, north to Samoa)
Creocele Briggs 1955 kreas, flesh; kele, a swelling, referring to swollen, fleshy pad on lower pectoral base
Creocele cardinalis (Ramsay 1882) red, referring to “rich salmon red” color in spirits
Modicus Hardy 1983 ordinary, referring to “rather ordinary” appearance of members of this genus
Modicus minimus Hardy 1983 smallest, referring to small size of adults (up to 34.1 mm SL)
Modicus tangaroa Hardy 1983 for the New Zealand Ministry of Transport research vessel Tangaroa, from which four of the six type specimens were collected