Distribution data supplied by the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS). To interrogate UK data visit the NBN Atlas.Map Help
Researched by | Kate Reeds | Refereed by | Admin |
Authority | (Bonnaterre, 1788) | ||
Other common names | - | Synonyms | - |
The taxonomy of Lepadogaster spp. was revised by Henriques et al. (2002). In European waters, Lepadogaster spp. is represented by two species Lepadogaster purpurea and Lepadogaster lepadogaster (shore clingfish). They are distinguished by the two spots on the back of the head in L. purpurea while L. lepadogaster bears a large crescent shape on its back, and by the arrangement of the papillae of the sucker. In addition, the nose of L. purpurea is shorter and its eyes are more separated than those of L. lepadogaster (Henriques et al., 2002). Most importantly, their distribution varies but overlap. L. lepadogaster occurs from northern Spain (Galiza) south to north-west Africa, the Madeira and the Canary Islands, and the Mediterranean. L. purpurea occurs from Scotland, south to Senegal (west Africa), the Madeira and the Canary Islands, and the Mediterranean. Both species may occur on the coast of Morocco and in the Black Sea (Henriques et al., 2002). Therefore, prior records of L. lepadogaster in UK waters are probably L. purpurea and users should refer to distribution maps for both species (see Lepadogaster spp. on NBN Atlas).
The eggs are golden in colour and are laid underneath stones or attached to rocks. These are then guarded by either parent.
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Manx Biological Recording Partnership, 2017. Isle of Man wildlife records from 01/01/2000 to 13/02/2017. Occurrence dataset: https://doi.org/10.15468/mopwow accessed via GBIF.org on 2018-10-01.
Manx Biological Recording Partnership, 2018. Isle of Man historical wildlife records 1995 to 1999. Occurrence dataset: https://doi.org/10.15468/lo2tge accessed via GBIF.org on 2018-10-01.
NBN (National Biodiversity Network) Atlas. Available from: https://www.nbnatlas.org.
OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System), 2023. Global map of species distribution using gridded data. Available from: Ocean Biogeographic Information System. www.iobis.org. Accessed: 2023-03-25
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Last Updated: 03/09/2020