Gobiesocidae

Clingfishes
Temporal range: 23.03-0 Ma
Aspasmichthys ciconiae
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Clade: Ovalentaria
Order: Blenniiformes
Suborder: Gobiesocoidei
Family: Gobiesocidae
Bleeker, 1860
Type species
Gobiesox cephalus
Lacépède, 1800

Clingfishes are ray-finned fishes of the family Gobiesocidae, the only family in the suborder Gobiesocoidei of the order Blenniiformes. These fairly small to very small fishes are widespread in tropical and temperate regions, mostly near the coast, but a few species live in deeper seas or fresh water. Most species shelter in shallow reefs or seagrass beds, clinging to rocks, algae and seagrass leaves with their sucking disc, a structure on their chest.

They are generally too small to be of interest to fisheries, although the relatively large Sicyases sanguineus regularly is caught as a food fish, and some of the other species occasionally appear in the marine aquarium trade.