Name: Two-tone fingerfin
Scientific Name: Chirodactylus brachydactylus (Cuvier, 1830)
Family: Cheilodactylidae
Group: Bony fish
Class: Fish
Size: 26-50 cm.
As well as being two-toned in colour, this fish has a row of white or bluish spots on each flank. Like other fingerfins, it is quite elongate with a small terminal mouth surrounded by fleshy lips. It is a very common species on the South-African coast that populates pools and tidal canals, but can also live in reefs. The adults have an unusual characteristic: the lower rays of the pectoral fin are narrow and elongated. These rays, in the posterior region, are separate and function as appendages. They serve to maintain the fingerfin's balance when the fish is resting and also to detect food!
Photo by:
Abílio Leitão
Life near the bottom
