Teleostei (teleosts) >
Blenniiformes (Blennies) >
Blenniidae (Combtooth blennies) > Salariinae
Etymology: Blenniella: Diminutive of blennius, Greek,blenios = mucus (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Valenciennes.
Issue
Genus Williams, pers. comm.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 3 m (Ref. 30874). Tropical; 30°N - 30°S
Indo-Pacific: Red Sea south to Durban, South Africa, east to the Marquesas and Tuamoto Islands, north to the Ryukyu Islands; throughout Micronesia.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 15.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9710)
Dorsal spines (total): 12 - 14; Dorsal soft rays (total): 18 - 21; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 19 - 21; Vertebrae: 25 - 27. Diagnosis: Dorsal fin XIII, 18-21, notched between spinous and segmented-ray portions; anal fin II, 19-21; pectoral rays 13-15 (usually 14); pelvic fin I, 3; caudal fin, procurrent rays 7, segmented rays 13. Vertebrae 12 + 25-27. Orbital cirrus simple and slender, may have a short lateral branch, less often up to 4 branches; nasal cirri short and palmate, may rarely have more than 6 branches; nuchal cirri simple and slender, may have a single branch or a ragged edge. Mandibular pores 6. Dorsal lips margin entire, ventral margin crenulated. Occipital crest absent, but large males have a low thin ridge (less than 1.8 mm); no crest or ridge in females Three color-pattern types described for different localities (see Ref. 9962). Body of males with 6-7 dusky bands with 1 or a pair of dark margined, pale, oblong spots on each band; dark spots on spinous dorsal, dusky lines on rayed dorsal. Females with spots on caudal peduncle; body sometimes with fine dark specks (Ref. 4404). Body depth at anal-fin origin 4.6-5.3 in SL (Ref. 90102).
Adults inhabit exposed outer intertidal reef flats, where it can hide in cracks and holes. Commonly observed clinging to rocks as the water recedes below them during the low cycle of the swell and this species is often confused with mudskipper gobies (Ref. 48636). They feed on filamentous algae and associated small invertebrates, such as foraminiferans, ostracods, copepods, and gastropods. Oviparous. Eggs are demersal and adhesive (Ref. 205), and are attached to the substrate via a filamentous, adhesive pad or pedestal (Ref. 94114). Larvae are planktonic, often found in shallow, coastal waters (Ref. 94114). Rarely used for aquarium fish.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Distinct pairing (Ref. 205).
Springer, V.G. and J.T. Williams, 1994. The Indo-West Pacific blenniid fish genus Istiblennius reappraised: a revision of Istiblennius, Blenniella, and Paralticus, new genus. Smithson. Contrib. Zool. 565:1-193. (Ref. 9962)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Tools
Special reports
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 25 - 29.3, mean 28.4 °C (based on 2554 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5020 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00389 (0.00180 - 0.00842), b=3.12 (2.94 - 3.30), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.3 ±0.43 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 115 [56, 183] mg/100g; Iron = 0.664 [0.377, 1.120] mg/100g; Protein = 18.5 [17.3, 19.6] %; Omega3 = 0.0767 [, ] g/100g; Selenium = 16.1 [7.5, 34.7] μg/100g; VitaminA = 144 [44, 446] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.83 [1.21, 2.64] mg/100g (wet weight);
