Lepadogaster lepadogaster
A 4cm rock-hugger found in Algarve, Galicia and Occitanie divers spot by flipping small stones in 16-21C water year-round.
At just 4cm long, this is a tiny, tadpole-shaped fish that clings flat to rock surfaces rather than swimming freely. Look for a mottled reddish-brown to olive body with a flattened head and large, high-set eyes that give it a slightly bug-eyed look. The body tapers to a small tail, and it has no visible scales, giving it a smooth, almost slug-like appearance against the rock.
Expect to find it wedged motionless under a loose rock or in a crevice rather than out in the open water column, using a suction disc on its underside to grip the surface against surge. It is not shy exactly, it simply does not move much, so divers who go looking under rocks in the shallows have the best luck. Most sightings come from very shallow, wave-affected rocky reef rather than deeper open reef.
That grip is thanks to a modified pelvic fin fused into a sucker disc, the same trick clingfish use across the family to stay put on wave-battered rock instead of swimming against the current.
Sightings show no clear seasonal pattern, and with a comfortable range of 16.1 to 21.2C it can turn up on rocky shores year-round wherever that temperature band holds. Treat it as a species to look for on any dive rather than one tied to a particular month.
Most consistently logged in the Algarve region of Portugal, with strong numbers also in Galicia, Spain and the Occitanie coast of France. Smaller counts come from the French Riviera, Croatia's Kvarner region, and the Canary Islands, so it is very much a Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic species for divers and snorkellers working shallow rocky ground.
Mapping where Shore Clingfish is logged…
It is most reliably found in the Algarve region of Portugal, along Galicia in Spain, and the Occitanie coast of France, with smaller numbers reported in Croatia and the Canary Islands. Look on shallow, exposed rocky reef rather than sand or deep wall.
There is no strong seasonal pattern in sightings, so it can be found year-round within its 16.1 to 21.2C comfort range. Any month diving the Algarve, Galicia or Occitanie coastline gives a reasonable shot at one.
Look for a tiny, 4cm, tadpole-shaped fish clinging flat to the underside of rocks, with a mottled reddish-brown body and large high-set eyes. It has no scales and does not swim off readily like a typical small reef fish.
They stay very small, typically around 4cm as adults, making them one of the tinier fish divers log on rocky Mediterranean and Atlantic shores.
Its pelvic fins are fused into a sucker disc on its belly, letting it grip tightly to rock faces in surge and surf where a free-swimming fish that size would get swept around.
No, they pose no risk to divers. They are tiny, rock-bound fish with no venom or aggressive behaviour, best appreciated by looking carefully rather than touching.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
Soldierfish
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