Lepadogaster purpurea
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| Lepadogaster purpurea | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Blenniiformes |
| Family: | Gobiesocidae |
| Genus: | Lepadogaster |
| Species: | L. purpurea |
| Binomial name | |
| Lepadogaster purpurea (Bonnaterre, 1788) | |
Lepadogaster purpurea, the Cornish sucker, is a species of clingfish from the family Gobiesocidae. It is found in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean and in the western Mediterranean Sea.
Lepadogaster purpurea has a rather tadpole-like shape with a small body and a large flattened head with large mouth shaped like the bill of a duck-and a tentacle is positioned to the rear of each nostril. The pelvic fins are fused and, together with their surrounding tissue, they form a suction disc or sucker. They are variable in colour, having the ability to alter their colouration to blending with the substrate they are clinging to, but normally they show a pale background with a patterning of bars and spots which can vary between dark purple to reddish brown and green. On the nape there are two bright blue ocelli, or eyespots, which are thought to be defensive and to confuse predators.[2] They grow to 7.5 centimetres (3.0 in) in standard length.[3]
Distribution
Lepadogaster purpurea occurs in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean from the Shetland Islands south to the Canary Islands and Dakar in Senegal. It is also found in the western Mediterranean Sea as far east as Cap Roux (near Cannes, France).[1]