Bellapiscis lesleyae
A 4cm reef dweller rarely spotted in New Zealand's North Island waters, 13-20C, year-round if you know where to look.
Tiny at just 4 cm, this triplefin has a mottled brown, grey and cream pattern that blends into rocky reef surfaces rather than standing out. Look for the three separate dorsal fins characteristic of triplefins and a habit of perching motionless on rock rather than swimming in open water. Its small size and camouflage mean divers usually spot it by scanning rock surfaces closely rather than the water column.
Divers find it sitting still on rock surfaces rather than swimming about, relying on its mottled colouring to disappear against the reef. It shows little reaction to divers, staying put unless approached closely, which makes patient, close-in looking the best way to actually spot one. Most logs describe single individuals rather than groups.
Triplefins like this one lack a swim bladder, which is part of why they perch on the bottom rather than hover in midwater like most reef fish.
Sightings show no detectable seasonal pattern, and with water temperatures logged between 13 and 19.8C it appears to be present across the range of conditions New Zealand's temperate reefs offer through the year.
Reef neighbours a diver could mistake it for. Use the identification notes above to tell them apart.
Logged almost entirely in New Zealand, with the North Island the most reliable area and a smaller scatter of sightings around the South Island. Sites are spread thinly rather than concentrated, so this is a species you find by searching rocky reef, not by targeting a single famous location.
Mapping where Mottled Twister is logged…
It's recorded almost exclusively in New Zealand, most often around the North Island with a smaller number of sightings on the South Island. It's not a species tied to one famous site, so look for rocky reef habitat generally.
There's no clear seasonal pattern in the sightings, and it's been logged across a temperature range of 13 to 19.8C, suggesting it's around on New Zealand's reefs year-round rather than tied to a particular season.
It's a small triplefin, around 4 cm, with a mottled brown, grey and cream pattern that camouflages it against rock. Rather than swimming, it perches still on reef surfaces, which is often the giveaway that helps divers spot it at all.
Around 4 cm, making it one of the smaller fish you'll try to spot on a New Zealand reef dive. Its size, combined with its camouflage, means it's easy to swim right past.
Yes, most dive sites where it has been logged describe it as a rare sighting, with only a few sites reporting it as uncommon. Finding one takes a slow, close look at rocky surfaces rather than a casual scan.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
Klipfish
1,860 sites
