Georgina Jones (CC-BY-SA), Cape Town
Info
Apletodon pellegrini (Chabanaud, 1925)
Apletodon pellegrini is short and has a thick triangular head that tapers to a narrow tail. Its color ranges from almost white to pink to dark brown and may have dark (if predominantly light) or light (if predominantly dark) spots on its skin. These spots are not present in all specimens.
The ventral fins are modified so that they form suction cups with which the fish attaches itself to smooth, flat surfaces. The anus is surrounded by papillae. Apletodon pellegrini usually has a pale line between the eyes. This can form a triangle in some specimens. The chubby sucker has large but rounded, incisor-like teeth on both jaws at the front of the mouth, especially in adult males.
Apletodon pellegrini has a characteristic J-shape at rest, with the tail curved towards the head. It often attaches itself to the insides of flat mussel shells on the seabed.
Females lay eggs in the empty shells at different times of the year. They guard the shell and the transparent eggs inside. After hatching, small round spots can be seen on the shell to which the eggs were attached.
The chubby scorpionfish has been found on macroalgae (Sagrassum) and on gorgonians, in shallow water, intertidal on sandy bottoms with empty mussel shells.
Chubby clingfish is commonly found under shells on a sandy bottom.
Apletodon pellegrini is named after the French ichthyologist Jacques Pellegrin (1873-1944).
Synonymised names
Apletodon knysnaensis Smith, 1964 · unaccepted
Lepadogaster pellegrini Chabanaud, 1925 · unaccepted
Apletodon pellegrini is short and has a thick triangular head that tapers to a narrow tail. Its color ranges from almost white to pink to dark brown and may have dark (if predominantly light) or light (if predominantly dark) spots on its skin. These spots are not present in all specimens.
The ventral fins are modified so that they form suction cups with which the fish attaches itself to smooth, flat surfaces. The anus is surrounded by papillae. Apletodon pellegrini usually has a pale line between the eyes. This can form a triangle in some specimens. The chubby sucker has large but rounded, incisor-like teeth on both jaws at the front of the mouth, especially in adult males.
Apletodon pellegrini has a characteristic J-shape at rest, with the tail curved towards the head. It often attaches itself to the insides of flat mussel shells on the seabed.
Females lay eggs in the empty shells at different times of the year. They guard the shell and the transparent eggs inside. After hatching, small round spots can be seen on the shell to which the eggs were attached.
The chubby scorpionfish has been found on macroalgae (Sagrassum) and on gorgonians, in shallow water, intertidal on sandy bottoms with empty mussel shells.
Chubby clingfish is commonly found under shells on a sandy bottom.
Apletodon pellegrini is named after the French ichthyologist Jacques Pellegrin (1873-1944).
Synonymised names
Apletodon knysnaensis Smith, 1964 · unaccepted
Lepadogaster pellegrini Chabanaud, 1925 · unaccepted
