Flexor, Conway, Kevin W., Stewart, Andrew L. & Summers, Adam P., 2018

Conway, Kevin W., Stewart, Andrew L. & Summers, Adam P., 2018, A new genus and species of clingfish from the Rangitahua Kermadec Islands of New Zealand (Teleostei, Gobiesocidae), ZooKeys 786, pp. 75-104 : 75

Flexor gen. n.

Diagnosis.

A genus of the Gobiesocidae differing from all other genera by a combination of characters, including: head and anteriormost part of body similar in width; a relatively elongate body with a small, double adhesive disc located beneath anteriormost part of body; an oval-shaped gap between premaxillae formed by a semicircular indentation along medial edge of premaxilla; premaxilla with a single row of teeth, comprising 2-3 peg-like, conical teeth anteriorly at, and adjacent to, symphysis and 10-12 strongly laterally compressed, incisiviform teeth with strongly recurved cusp, along outer margin of bone; lower jaw with a single row of 14-16 small, conical teeth with sharply pointed and slightly recurved tip; posterior tip of basipterygium expanded and articulating with anteromedial edge of ventral postcleithrum via a shallow concave facet; mandibular portion of preoperculo-mandibular lateral line canal absent; lachrymal canal with two pores; upper and lower lip simple, uniform in thickness along jaw margin.

Etymology.

New Latin, anatomical term for muscles, from the Latin flexus, past participle of flectere, to bend. In reference to the great flexibility of clingfishes, many of which have the ability to bend the body so that the tail end comes to lie close to the head. Masculine.

Type species.

Flexor incus , new species