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Blenniiformes (Blennies) >
Blenniidae (Combtooth blennies) > Salariinae
Etymology: Rhabdoblennius: Greek, rhabdos = stick + Greek, blennios = mucus (Ref. 45335); papuensis: Named for its type locality, Ninigo Islands, part of the territory of Papua New Guinea.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 1 m (Ref. 76835). Tropical
Western Pacific: Papua New Guinea.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 3.9 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 76835); 3.3 cm SL (female)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 11 - 12; Dorsal soft rays (total): 18 - 19; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 19 - 22. This species is distinguished by the following characters: 18-19 segmented dorsal fin rays;
(19-)20-21(-22) segmented anal fin rays; 3 segmented pelvic fin rays; simple, fusiform supraorbital tentacle, shorter than eye diameter; head with dark pigmentation, with a deep dark area between the central cheeks, the upper orbital rim and the corner of the mouth; dark snout and central three-fifths of the upper lip, other parts light; lower sides of head with dark pigmentation, darkest in the central part of the anterior half; central part of posterior half of lower sides of head with a transversely oval, black blotch, its size about half eye diameter; pelvic fin base black directly behind the opercular membrane; a row of 7 dark, longitudinal, oval blotches with an even darker centre at the sides of body (Ref. 76835).
Facultative air-breathing (Ref. 126274); Adults inhabit reef flats in the intertidal zone and also found in rocky shorelines exposed to strong tide surges (Ref. 90102). 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).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Oviparous, distinct pairing (Ref. 205).
Bath, H., 2004. Revision of the genus Rhabdoblennius Whitley (Pisces: Blenniidae: Salariinae), with descriptions of two new species. Stuttg. Beitr. Naturkd. (A Biol.) 669:1-28. (Ref. 76835)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5312 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01047 (0.00461 - 0.02381), b=2.98 (2.79 - 3.17), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).