New Zealand slender clingfish
Gastrocyathus gracilis
- Usual depth0–12 m
- Water temperature14–18 °C
- Best monthsFebruary, April, and May
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) Zachary Robertson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
The Slender clingfish is a clingfish of the family Gobiesocidae, the only species in the genus Gastrocyathus. This species grows to a length of 4.5 cm (1.8 in) TL. Endemic to New Zealand, this species is apparently only found in beds of strap-fronded algae. Harpacticoid copepods comprise the main component of their diet.
Text from the Wikipedia article “New Zealand slender clingfish”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 1 records
- February: 3 records
- March: 2 records
- April: 4 records
- May: 3 records
- June: 0 records
- July: 2 records
- August: 1 records
- September: 2 records
- October: 1 records
- November: 2 records
- December: 3 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 0–12 m · Deepest record: 15 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 14–18 °C
Photos
(c) naturewatchwidow, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Shaun, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Luca Davenport-Thomas, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) naturewatchwidow, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- New Zealand slender clingfish, Slender Clingfish
Names in 1 more languages
- Spanish
- Clingo esbelto Neozelandés
Similar species
Common Shore-eelAlabes dorsalis
Long-snout ClingfishDiademichthys lineatus
Pygmy Shore EelAlabes parvula
Broad ClingfishAspasmogaster costata
Western Cleaner ClingfishCochleoceps bicolor
Eastern Cleaner-clingfishCochleoceps orientalis
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 35 open-data records from 1949 to 2013.
- Species data updated November 2, 2026.
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