Chlidichthys clibanarius Gill & Edwards, 2004
Chainmail dottyback
Chlidichthys clibanarius
photo by Winterbottom, R.

Family:  Pseudochromidae (Dottybacks), subfamily: Pseudoplesiopinae
Max. size:  4.2 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  reef-associated; marine; depth range 0 - 18 m
Distribution:  Western Indian Ocean: known only from the Comoros, Aldabra (Seychelles), and northern Madagascar.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 2-2; Dorsal soft rays (total): 22-24; Anal spines: 3-3; Anal soft rays: 13-14. Dorsal fin rays II, 22-24 (usually II, 23); anal fin rays III, 13-14 (usually III, 14); pectoral fin rays 16-18 (usually 17-18); predorsal scales 12-17, extending to interorbital commissure; ctenoid scales beginning at 1-3 transverse scale rows behind gill opening; and circumpeduncle scales 20-23, usually 20. It also has distinctive live and preserved coloration: head and body pale brown to brown (in life, pale green to olive or bright green, with yellow to bright orange or bright red stripes on head and front of body, and snout and anteroventral part of head reddish grey to bright red), with bases of scales edged with dark brown (dark olive-grey in life), giving reticulate pattern; dorsal and anal fins dark brown to dark grey basally (bluish grey to olive in life), greyish to brownish hyaline distally; scaly sheath of caudal fin similar to body coloration, edged posteriorly with dark brown to grey (olive-grey in life), remainder of fin greyish to brownish hyaline (Ref. 57771).
Biology:  Collected from patch reefs, bommies and caves in drop-offs (Ref. 57771).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 20 July 2017 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless
Country info:   
 


Source and more info: www.fishbase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.