Order Gobiesociformes Phylum Chordata Rank Species | ||
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Similar Gobiesox marmoratus, Gobiesocidae, Gobiesox, Psychedelic frogfish, Fissurella | ||
Areas naturales sicyases sanguineus
Sicyases sanguineus is a species of amphibious marine clingfish in the family Gobiesocidae. It lives in subtropical marine environments of the Southeast Pacific in Chile and in Perú. Locally, it is known as pejesapo (literally, frog-fish). It is an exceptionally large clingfish that can live below the cool and well-aerated surf and above water on exposed rocks.
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Habitat
The fish is characteristic of vertical rock walls in the middle and upper rocky intertidal community along the exposed coasts of western South America, ranging from southern Peru to southern Chile. Its niche is unique, with no known parallel development in other rocky intertidal communities. The most likely determinants of the distribution of Sicyases sanguineus are areas where vertical rocky shorelines encounter ocean swells and ample benthic prey (mainly barnacles, mussels and certain algae).
Sicyases sanguineus attaches by means of a large disc formed of the fused and highly modified pelvic fins, bearing small and flattened dermal papillae. The combination of suction by disc and adhesion by papillae secure the clingfish to the rock.
Behavior
When young, S. sanguineus is gregarious and often congregates on walls. They are alert and can detect moving objects over distances from 10–15 m (33–49 ft). However, adults are quiescent and cluster on exposed rocks often well above water level. They have also been seen in boulder fields in Pozo Toyo and Antofagasta Bay.
Feeding
Sicyases sanguineus use their teeth for feeding. The most common way to feed is for the fish to connect itself to a flat smooth surface with its ventral sucker. It then repeatedly swings its head in a small arc, raking its teeth downward in strokes. "They have a typical buck tooth appearance, with a series of 4 long, incisor like teeth protruding beyond the lips of the upper jaw, complemented by four shorter chisel-like teeth on the lower jaw".
A second mode in which Sicyases sanguineus feed is to insert its teeth on the limpet’s shell and then twist. This produces a characteristic break into the shell posteriorly and anteriorly. The major prey categories include three plant and three animal phyla which reside in the intertidal zone.