Photo by James Florence
Photo by Guido Zsilavecz
The speckled klipfish is the second-most common klipfish around the Peninsula (the most common by far being the super klipfish, Clinus superciliosus.) It prefers slightly deeper waters, and is rarely found within the intertidal zone, which is why some of the older guide books list it as rare. In reality, on deeper reefs it tends to outnumber the super klipfish.
It is a much smaller species than the super klipfish, reaching only 12 cm in length. As with most klipfish it is highly variable in colour, and can be about anything from a pale yellow to black, with bright yellows, oranges and reds in-between. While most have a body pattern, some may be nearly uniformly coloured, especially some of the brigher specimens. The pattern on the head, as shown on both photos, is the most common one, but an alternate spotted variety also exists, usually in smaller specimens. There are usually two ocellate spots on the dorsal fin, with a dark area framed by bright yellow or light green.
While the speckled klipfish is already a beautiful fish, it is the eyes which really make it a worth-while photographic target: all have this stunning alternating radial pattern of orange and green. Other klipfish have pretty eyes too, but none as consistent as this species.
See "Coastal Fishes of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay", now 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.
Two Oceans, A guide to the marine life of Southern Africa, GM Branch, CL Griffiths, ML Branch and LE Beckley, 1994.