Family: Clinidae, Clinids view all from this family
Description To 24" (61 cm). Slender, elongate, compressed; greenish-yellow, green, or reddish-brown with silvery stripes; color varies with surroundings. Snout long, tip of lower jaw pointed, extends beyond upper jaw. 11-13 dorsal soft rays and 31-35 anal soft rays. Caudal fin forked.
Related Species Scarlet Kelpfish (Gibbonsia erythra) lacks scales on caudal fin; occurs from Santa Cruz Island, California, to Punta Banda, Baja California. Striped Kelpfish (G. metzi) has 7-10 dorsal soft rays that are equally spaced; rear profile of caudal fin rounded; occurs from Vancouver Island, British Columbia, to Bahia Magdalena, Baja California. Crevice Kelpfish (G. montereyensis) lacks scales on caudal peduncle and fin; occurs from British Columbia to Punta Banda, Baja California. All in similar habitat.
Habitat Rocky areas with eel grass, leafy red algae, jointed coralline algae, or kelp beds to depths of 22 fathoms.
Range From British Columbia to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California.
Discussion Giant Kelpfishes feed on small crustaceans, mollusks, and fishes. Occasionally caught by anglers but seldom retained, they are probably more familiar to scuba divers.
