Clinus, CUVIER 1817

Holleman, Wouter, Heyden, Sophie Von Der & Zsilavecz, Guido, 2012, Delineating the fishes of the Clinus superciliosus species complex in southern African waters (Blennioidei: Clinidae: Clinini), with the validation of Clinus arborescens Gilchrist & Thompson, 1908 and Clinus ornatus Gilchrist & Thompson, 1908, and with descriptions of two new species, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 166 (4), pp. 827-853 : 831-832

GENUS CLINUS CUVIER 1817 , AND THE CLINUS SUPERCILIOSUS COMPLEX

Penrith (1969: 14) provided the following diagnosis of the genus: ‘A distally flattened, at least bifid tentacle over the eye. Lateral line usually with double pores and/or single pores above and below anteriorly; posterior to post-pectoral curve usually of short separate horizontal tubes with a pore at either end. Intromittant organ of male usually consists of a fairly long basal portion with small tip retractile between one or two pairs of fleshy lips. Body covered with small embedded cycloid scales. Two bands of villiform teeth in each jaw, outer larger. Vomer always toothed. Upper jaw averages more than 40% of head length. Body moderately robust. Caudal peduncle short.’ Within this ‘definition’ she included Cirrhibarbis , Blennophis , Ophthalmolophus , Climacoporus , Muraenoclinus , Blenniomimus , and Caboclinus as subgenera of Clinus . Smith (1986: 758–696) ‘unbundled’ this accumulation and restored Cirrhibarbis , Blennophis , Climacoporus , and Muraenoclinus to generic rank. Opthalmolophus, Blenniomimus , and Caboclinus are considered junior synonyms of Clinus . For the purposes of this paper the genus is redefined as follows.

Clinin fishes with a distally flattened, at least bifid cirrus over the eye, but simple in two species. Body moderately robust, never elongate or eel-like, depth three to five times in SL, and covered with small, embedded, cycloid scales. Caudal peduncle short. Lateral line anteriorly usually with double pores, and/or single pores above and below; posterior to post-pectoral curve usually of short, separate, horizontal tubes, with a pore at either end. Intromittant organ of male usually consists of a fairly long, basal portion with small tip retractile between one or two pairs of fleshy lips. No barbels on face. Two bands of villiform teeth in each jaw, outer band larger. Vomer always toothed. Upper jaw averages more than 40% of head length.

This definition includes the new species, and effectively excludes Cirrhibarbis , Blennophis , Climacoporus , and Muraenoclinus .

Within the genus Clinus , the six species of the Clinus superciliosus complex share the following morphological characters.

1. Dorsal crest of three elevated spines followed by a notch of varying depth.