Photo by Peter Southwood Photo by Guido Zsilavecz Photos by Guido Zsilavecz	Super klipfish Clinus superciliosus. The super klipfish is the most common of the klipfish in Cape waters. Highly adaptable, it occurs in rock pools and to depths of at least 50 m. Colour and pattern is extremely variable, and can range from virtually white without pattern to dark greens or browns, and a very complex pattern of criss-cross bars. The individual Peter photographed is missing most of one of the more characteristic features of the super klipfish, the dorsal crest. Many klipfish have a crest formed by the first three spines of the dorsal spines. This crest is prominent in the super klipfish, where that of males is much higher than that of females: the photo by Guido shows a male with a very tall crest. The other klipfish Peter mentioned are: Lace klipfish Blennioclinus brachycephalus has a much steeper head profile - almost vertical. Furthermore, it does not have a crest formed by the first three spines, but instead has a raised rear dorsal fin. (Top left in composite.) Cape klipfish Clinus brevicristatus and agile klipfish Clinus agilis are very hard to tell apart, but both indeed lack a distinct tall dorsal crest. But, they do have eye tentacles, even if not always easily visible. (Top right and bottom left in composite.) Speckled klipfish Clinus venustris lacks a dorsal crest, and indeed has quite a different face pattern. (Bottom right in composite.) See "Coastal fishes of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay", available from SURG, for more details.
References: 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.
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