Blunt-snouted clingfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blunt-snouted clingfish |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Gouania (fish)
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| Species: |
willdenowi
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The blunt-snouted clingfish (Gouania willdenowi) is a small and interesting type of clingfish. It lives in the shallow waters along the western Mediterranean Sea, from Spain all the way to Italy. This tiny fish usually grows to about 5 centimetres (2.0 in) long. It is a bit of a mystery fish, often found in very shallow areas near the coast, among pebbles and sand. What's really cool is that it can even survive for a while out of the water!
Discovering the Blunt-Snouted Clingfish
This unique fish was first officially described in 1810 by a scientist named Antoine Risso. He found it near Nice, France. At first, it was thought to be the only fish of its kind in the Gouania group.
New Discoveries About Clingfish
Scientists are always learning new things! In 2020, a new study showed that there are actually three more species of clingfish that are very similar to the blunt-snouted clingfish. They also brought back an old name, G. pigra, for another species that was once thought to be the same as G. willdenowi. This means the blunt-snouted clingfish has more relatives than we first thought!
Who Are the Namesakes?
The name Gouania for this group of fish honors a French botanist, Antoine Gouan. A botanist is a scientist who studies plants. The specific name willdenowi honors another botanist, a German scientist named Carl Ludwig Willdenow. It's pretty neat how scientists often name new species after other important people in science!
