Notoclinops segmentatus (McCulloch & Phillipps, 1923)

Open encyclopedia reference

The blue-eyed triplefin (Notoclinops segmentatus) is a fish in the genus Notoclinops, commonly found around the North Island of New Zealand from depths of a metre to about 30 m, most common in reef areas of broken rock. Its length is between 3 and 6 cm and it is easily distinguished from other small fish by its iridescent blue eyes which give its name. There are nine red vertical bars running right round the body, and an orange tinge to the back and head.

In the breeding season in winter the orange on the males becomes brighter on the head, tail, and anal fin. The rest of the body becomes blue/black. Males set up nests in small depressions on vertical rock faces at depths of about 10 to 20 m where females are encouraged to lay their eggs. The nest is then guarded.

The blue-eyed triplefin's diet includes small crustaceans (including amphipods and copepods), and has been known to remove parasites from larger fish. This fish count (at 2017) is 58.

Wikipedia contributors, Blue-eyed triplefin; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:21:59.507877+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Notoclinops segmentatus (McCulloch & Phillipps, 1923)

Name authority

(McCulloch & Phillipps, 1923)

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Teleostei

Order

Blenniiformes

Family

Tripterygiidae

Genus

Notoclinops

Extinction status

Not supplied by this source

Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. gigaclassActinopterygii
8. superclassActinopteri
9. classTeleostei
10. orderBlenniiformes
11. familyTripterygiidae Whitley, 1931
12. subfamilyTripterygiinae Whitley, 1931
13. genusNotoclinops Whitley, 1930
14. speciesNotoclinops segmentatus (McCulloch & Phillipps, 1923)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Notoclinops. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 171 records assigned to Tripterygiidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=281778 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:47VLC. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.