Nettorhamphos

Duck-billed clingfish

Duck-billed clingfish

Species of fish

Nettorhamphos radula, the duckbilled clingfish, is a species of clingfish (family Gobiesocidae) from the Indian Ocean off Western Australia. It is currently the sole member of the genus Nettorhamphos.[1]

Quick Facts Scientific classification, Binomial name ...

Discovery and appearance

Nettorhamphos radula was discovered in a jar at the Western Australian Museum and only scientifically described in 2017. The specimen was caught and brought to the museum in the 1977.[2]

The species resembles other clingfish in being small (about 4 cm or 1.6 in) and having a suction cup on its chest, but differs by its large upper jaw that resembles the bill of a duck and its exceptionally high number of microscopic teeth, between 1,800 and 2,300.[1][3][4]

References

  1. [1]
    Conway, Kevin W.; Moore, Glenn I.; Summers, Adam P. (2017). "A New Genus and Species of Clingfish (Teleostei: Gobiesocidae) from Western Australia". Copeia. 105 (1): 128–140. doi:10.1643/CI-16-560. S2CID 90595940.
  2. [2]
    Stephanie Pappas (19 April 2017). "What has 1,800 teeth and a suction cup? A new clingfish species". CBS News. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  3. [3]
    Stephanie Pappas (18 April 2017). "What Has 1,800 Teeth and a Suction Cup? A New Clingfish Species". Live Science. Live Science. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  4. [4]
    Bray, D.J. (2017). "Nettorhamphos radula". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
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