# Lizard triplefin

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> Source revision: 1355303059
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{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Lizard triplefin
| image = Lizard_triplefin.jpg
| image_caption = Lizard Triplefin from Bahía de los Ángeles, photograph taken by Luis M. Jáquez-Domínguez
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Hastings, P. |author2=Dominici-Arosemena, A. |date=2010 |title=''Crocodilichthys gracilis'' |volume=2010 |article-number=e.T155327A4776119 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T155327A4776119.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| display_parents = 2
| taxon = Crocodilichthys gracilis
| authority = [Allen](/source/Gerald_R._Allen) & [Robertson](/source/David_Ross_Robertson), 1991
}}

The '''lizard triplefin''', ''Crocodilichthys gracilis'', is a fish of the [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) [Tripterygiidae](/source/Tripterygiidae) and only member of the genus '''''Crocodilichthys''''', found in the [Gulf of California](/source/Gulf_of_California) in the [Tropical Eastern Pacific](/source/Tropical_Eastern_Pacific) at depths down to 38 m. Its length is only up to about 64&nbsp;mm.<ref>{{FishBase | genus = Crocodilichthys | species = gracilis | month = June | year = 2006}}</ref> In some regions of the Gulf of California, such as [Bahía de los Ángeles](/source/Bah%C3%ADa_de_los_%C3%81ngeles), this species is closely associated with microhabitats formed by the coral ''[Porites panamensis](/source/Porites_panamensis)'', where it can reach average densities of up to 9 individuals per square meter.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jáquez-Domínguez |first1=Luis M |last2=Chiriboga-Ortega |first2=Rodrigo D |last3=Ladah |first3=Lydia B |last4=Calderón-Aguilera |first4=Luis E |last5=Valencia-Méndez |first5=Omar |date=2025-02-13 |title=Comparación de la riqueza y abundancia de peces arrecifales criptobentónicos en microhábitats coralinos y rocosos en Bahía de los Ángeles, Golfo de California |url=https://cienciasmarinas.com.mx/index.php/cmarinas/article/view/3495 |journal=Ciencias Marinas |volume=50 |issue=1B |doi=10.7773/cm.y2025.3495 |issn=2395-9053|doi-access=free }}</ref> The body of ''Crocodilichthys gracilis'' is pale tan or pinkish, with a dark snout and an iris marked by red and black bars. It features approximately three longitudinal rows of double red-brown spots, with the lowest row separated by white dashes along the midline. A prominent black band, with a white anterior border, encircles the base of the tail and extends onto the fin. The outer part of the tail fin is red, while the central portion is cream-colored.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Robertson |first1=DR |last2=Allen |first2=GR |last3=Peña |first3=EC |last4=Estape |first4=A |title=Peces Costeros del Pacífico Oriental Tropical: sistema de Información en línea |url=https://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/sftep/es/pages |access-date=13 March 2025 |website=Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{SealifePhotos|280435}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1886681}}

Category:Tripterygiidae
Category:Fish of the Gulf of California
Category:Fish described in 1991

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Lizard triplefin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lizard_triplefin) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lizard_triplefin?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.