Clinus venustris, the speckled klipfish, is a species of clinid that occurs in subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean from Namibia to South Africa where it is found in the subtidal zone as well as being a denizen of tide pools.

The short snout is slightly sharp to bluntly rounded and the cleft of the mouth is oblique with moderately thick lips.

Some specimens are in a uniform colour, from black to yellow, crimson or virtually white, but most display a pattern of vertical bars, usually off-set along the lateral line, surrounded by small dots in the colour of the bars.

Specimens from the coast north of Lambert's Bay can be pale buff with brown streaks, speckles, and reticulations.

Sometimes there are bright orange blotches at the base of the dorsal fin, or longitudinal irregular brown bands crossed by broad confluent patches of the same shade.

[5][7][8] Distinguishing features are a yellow-edged, dark green or black spot on the first three dorsal spines, with a similar spot further back on the dorsal fin, a short distance behind the pectoral fins, and sometimes a third one further back.

The second pattern is more variable, and can consist of spots in the darker body colour, sometimes forming a leopard-spot-like set of marks.

[4] Ophthalmolophus venustris (Gilchrist & W. W. Thompson, 1908) Ventustris: probably from venustus; charming, lovely, beautiful, graceful.

This species occurs on subtidal reefs down to 30m and in pools at the bottom of the intertidal region, but does not venture over sand.

It is taken intertidally more frequently west of Cape Point than from False Bay eastwards.

[7] The speckled klipfish feeds primarily on amphipods, isopods, mysids, and echinoderms.