Blue dot triplefin

Blue dot triplefin
Photo by Ian Skipworth
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Tripterygiidae
Genus:	Notoclinops
Species:	N. caerulepunctus
Binomial name
Notoclinops caerulepunctus Hardy, 1989

The blue dot triplefin, Notoclinops caerulepunctus, is a fish in the genus Notoclinops, found around offshore islands and exposed headlands of the eastern side of Northland, and the Bay of Plenty, on the North Island of New Zealand from depths of a metre or so to about 30 metres, most common in reef areas of broken rock. Its length is only up to about 5 centimetres and it is the smallest of the triplefins in New Zealand.

The blue dot triplefin's head is yellow-orange covered with large bright red spots back as far as the first dorsal fin. On the upper half of the rest of the body are a series of dark blue-black square areas, with an irridescent blue spot joining each pair of squares. These dots are often the only thing seen when the fish is resting on rocks covered in colourful encrusting life. Known to removes parasites from large fishes.

References

• "Notoclinops caerulepunctus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 11 March. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
• Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2005). "Notoclinops caerulepunctus" in FishBase. November 2005 version.
• Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8