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Nelson, J.S., 1994

Gobiesociformes clingfishes

Actinopterygii

Zeiformes 15 M years

Carroll, R., 1988  |  Helfman, G., B. Collette and D. Facey, 1997

late Tertiary

Marine

Fresh

Brackish

Pelvic fins modified into a thoracic sucking disc (permitting fish to adhere to substrate), with underlying pelvic bones specialized for supporting disc (pelvic skeleton highly reduced in Alabes; each pelvic fin with one small spine and four soft rays (rarely five); single dorsal fin without spines; head and body scaleless; branchiostegal rays 5-7 (three in Alabes); no circumorbital bones posterior to the lachrymal; articular process of premaxilla either fused with ascending process or absent; basibranchials one and two probably absent; supracleithrum with concave process that articulates with condyle oncleithrum (not known from other fishes); basisphenoid and orbitosphenoid absent; genital papilla behind anus; three or three and half gills; hypurals fused into a single plate; no swim bladder. The following characters apply to all species except Alabes: scapula and four pectoral radials and 16-31 pectoral fin rays; usually two postcleithra (rarely one); either common gill opening or separate opening on each side; pleural ribs attached to the epineural (?) ribs (an opposite relationship to that found in most fish); total caudal fin rays 16-27 (8-14 articulating on hypural fan); vertebrae 25-54 (11-20 + 13-33). Maximum length normally 7 cm.

Greek aktis = ray, thunderbolt, beam + Greek pterygion, diminutive of pteryx = wing, fin. Ref. 45335.

Latin gobius = goby + Latin esox = pike (position of dorsal and anal fin) + Latin, forma = shape (Ref. 45335).

( n = 1 ) -
Gobiesocidae

Ref.
[ e.g. 9948]                       

Glossary
                    [ e.g. cephalopods]