Forsterygion malcolmi
Small, well-camouflaged reef fish found only around New Zealand's North Island in cool 15.5-18.1C water, year-round if you know where to look.
A small, slender bottom-dweller reaching about 8 cm, with a mottled body pattern of bands that breaks up its outline against rock and rubble. Look for the three separate dorsal fins that give triplefins their name, and the way it perches motionless on a rock or ledge rather than swimming in open water. Its colouring blends closely with the reef, so divers usually spot it by movement or by scanning low, textured surfaces rather than the water column.
Divers find it perched still on rock or rubble, relying on its blotchy banding to disappear into the background rather than fleeing. It doesn't school or roam, so a slow look along ledges and low reef structure is more productive than scanning mid-water. Being uncommon at most sites, it rewards divers who take the time to look closely rather than swim past.
Like other triplefins, it lacks a swim bladder, which is part of why it spends its time perched on the bottom rather than hovering in the water column like many small reef fish.
Sightings don't show a clear seasonal pattern, and the species sits in a narrow 15.5 to 18.1C temperature band typical of North Island's cooler coastal water, so it appears to be a year-round find rather than a seasonal one.
Reef neighbours a diver could mistake it for. Use the identification notes above to tell them apart.
Every logged sighting so far comes from New Zealand's North Island, where it turns up as an uncommon find across a spread of rocky reef sites rather than clustering at one famous spot. If you are diving temperate North Island reef systems and checking ledges and crevices closely, this is the region to look.
Mapping where Banded Triplefin is logged…
It's logged exclusively on North Island, New Zealand, across a range of rocky reef sites, always as an uncommon to rare find rather than a guaranteed sighting.
There's no detected seasonal pattern, and it sits in a stable 15.5 to 18.1C temperature range, so it's considered a year-round sighting on North Island reefs.
Look for a small, banded fish around 8 cm long resting motionless on rock or rubble, with three distinct dorsal fins rather than one continuous fin. It relies on camouflage rather than fleeing, so it's easier to find by scanning still surfaces closely than by looking for movement.
They're small, typically around 8 cm long, which is normal for triplefins and part of why they're easy to swim past on a reef.
No. They're a tiny, harmless bottom-dweller with no risk to divers, happy to sit still while you take a closer look.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
Klipfish
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