Robust klipfish. Photo Guido Zsilavecz
Robust klipfish. Photo Peter Southwood
Super klipfish. Photo Guido Zsilavecz
The robust klipfish is the largest of the southern African klipfishes, reaching a length of 50 cm. It is also one of the rarest - in 16 years of diving Guido has only seen it once before! Not finding a small klipfish is easy, and it is thus easy for some to appear to be rare, but it is not easy to miss such a large fish! The first individual was seen in 1998, at Castle Rocks, where interestingly enough, this one was also seen - in fact, only about 20 m from where the first one was seen. It was not the same individual, however, as the first one had an opaque eye and was a much darker red.
This specimen was found in a crevice between two rocks, with some kelp covering it. While it remained calm on moving the kelp away, unfortunately the fish fled at a very great pace once approached too closely - unfortunate as we did not manage to take more photos.
Smiths' mentions that it is a rare fish, found intertidally from the Cape to Port Alfred. JLB Smith's original Sea Fishes also mentions that it is rare, but does state "Provides good sport off rocky ledges in deepish water. Good eating." Similarly, KH Barnard states "A good table fish." It is this which may provide a clue as to why it is nowadays very rare: it may have been overfished. Klipfish are sedentary fish, not known to migrate in any manner. A sedentary fish of this size would indeed make for an easy, decent meal, and if it was moderately rare to begin with, a reduction in numbers could simply have decimated it from many areas. That both fish were seen within the Castle Rocks marine reserve where fishing has been banned for many years may thus be quite related.
The robust klipfish is very easy to distinguish from the super klipfish Clinus superciliosus, which can attain 30 cm, in that the robust klipfish lacks the usually very prominent elevated crest formed by the first three spines of the dorsal fin. Furthermore, the robust klipfish has much thinner lips, which are also corrugated - the super klipfish has thicker, smoother lips.
See "Coastal fishes of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay", available from SURG, for more details.
Coastal fishes of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay, a divers' identification guide, G Zsilavecz, 2005.
Smiths' Sea Fishes, MM Smith and PC Heemstra, 1986.
South African Fishes, KH Barnard, 1940.
The Sea Fishes of Southern Africa, JLB Smith, 1949.