Clinitrachus argentatus
A small silvery blenny logged mostly in the French Riviera, comfortable in 17.6 to 21.4C water and seen year-round on rocky reefs.
A small, slender fish at only about 7 cm, with a silvery-brown body that lets it blend into rocky crevices. Look for the elongated blenny-like shape lying flat against rock or weed rather than swimming in open water, and a faint mottled pattern along the flanks that breaks up its outline. It has no single bold marking, so divers usually spot it by movement first, a quick dart between crevices, then confirm the slim body shape at close range.
Divers typically find it tucked close to rocky crevices and weed cover rather than out in open water, staying low and still against the substrate. It is not a fish that follows divers or shows curiosity, so a slow approach and a careful scan of nooks and cracks is the way to actually spot one. Most logs describe it as an uncommon find even at sites where it does occur, so patience pays off more than speed.
Its scientific name Clinitrachus argentatus nods to that silvery (argentatus) sheen, which is often the first thing that catches a diver's eye against dark rock.
Sightings don't show a concentrated season, and the observed water temperature range of 17.6 to 21.4 C spans much of the Mediterranean diving calendar, so treat it as a year-round find on French rocky reef sites.
Logged almost exclusively in France, with the French Riviera and Provence region producing the most sightings and Occitanie also a reliable spot. If you are diving rocky reef and weedy substrate along the southern French coast, this is where to look rather than on tropical reef systems.
Mapping where Cline is logged…
Sightings are concentrated in France, especially the French Riviera and Provence region, with further records from Occitanie. It favours rocky reef habitat along this stretch of Mediterranean coast rather than tropical reef systems.
There's no strong seasonal pattern in the sighting data, so it can turn up year-round. It has been recorded in water between 17.6 and 21.4 C, a range that covers much of the diving season on the French Mediterranean coast.
Look for a small, slender silvery-brown fish around 7 cm long, lying still against rocky crevices rather than swimming in open water. It lacks one single bold marking, so a slow scan of rock nooks and weed cover is the best way to spot it.
They're small, typically reaching around 7 cm in length, which keeps them tucked into crevices and easy to overlook on a dive.
No, it poses no danger to divers. It is a small, retiring blenny that stays close to rock and weed cover and has no reason to interact with divers at all.
Most sites that record it class it as uncommon, with a couple of sites reporting it as rare, so spotting one takes a patient, close look at rocky crevices rather than a lucky glance.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
Klipfish
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