A fish in the low visibility, shallow edge of the Klein rivier vlei. This is a male. Note the parasite on its lower jaw.
A male, showing a very tall dorsal crest.
A female, showing a low dorsal crest, and the pale green found more often in females.
Another male, showing a less tall dorsal crest, and the dark colour often associated with males.
All photos Guido Zsilavecz
This fish was described by Bennett in 1983 from a number of specimens caught in the Bot rivier vlei. Originally named "Bot River/Rivier" klipfish, it was subsequently discovered in the nearby Kleinmond estuary as well, so the name "estuary" klipfish is more apt.
A klipfish project in which SURG is involved required the capturing of a number of specimens for DNA analysis, to determine its relationship to the super klipfish Clinus superciliosus, which this fish resembles. But, while SURG has in the past succesfully found and collected estuary klipfishes in the Bot, dropping water levels have made this task very dificult. Recently main project researcher Wouter Holleman spent three sfrustrating days barely sighting any. He decided to try his luck in the Klein rivier vlei. The naming of these estuaries is confusing: Kleinmond is to the west of the Bot estuary, which is located west of Hermanus, while the Klein rivier vlei is situated east of Hermanus, much further from the Bot and Kleinmond estuaries, which are adjacent. The Klein rivier vlei turned out to have a healthy population of these fish, so SURG decided to investigate as well. Snorkeling at the Hermanus Yacht Club (thanks to Mike Kohl, secretary and manager, for granting us access) we indeed found a great number, of all sizes, males and females.
One aspect of the klipfish project is to determine the consituent species of the "Superciliosus" complex, and this required inclusion of the estuary klipfish. Individuals from this species look remarkably like super klipfish, even down to the somewhat unusual dimorphism between males and females, with the males having taller dorsal crests than the females. The species name "spatulatus", is in reference to the supra-orbital tentacles (the tentacles above the eyes found in all Clinus species and a few others), which are "spatulate" in shape and appearance, unlike most super klipfishes which have more elaborately branching ones. Interestingly enough, DNA analysis by Dr. Sophie von der Heyden initially showed the two species to be the same! A choice of different genes revealed a difference however, and also revealed that the separation of the two species was recent (relatively speaking), that is, they are still closely related.
The estuary klipfish is usually relatively dull in colour, with a pattern in pale green, or darker, nearly black, with white markings. The dorsal crest of males is much taller than those of females. The species reaches a size of 17.5 cm, although most seen are much smaller than that.
Clinus spatulatus, a new species of clinid fish (Perciformes: Blennoidei) from South Africa, with a modified definition of the genus Clinus, BA Bennet, Special Publication No. 29, JLB Smith Institute of Ichthyology, 1983
Smiths' Sea Fishes, MM Smith and PC Heemstra, 1986
Biology and ecology of fishes in southern African estuaries, AK Whitfield, 1998