Combtooth blennies are blennioids; perciform marine
fishA fish is any aquatic vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins...
of the family
Blenniidae. They are the largest family of blennies, with approximately 371 species in 53 genera represented. Combtooth blennies are found in tropical and subtropical waters in the
AtlanticThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres , it covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface and about one-quarter of its water surface area. The first part of its name refers to the Atlas of Greek...
,
PacificThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Tepre Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It extends from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south, bounded by Asia and...
and
Indian OceanThe Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering about 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by South Asia ; on the west by Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean...
s; some species are also found in brackish and even
freshwaterFreshwater is naturally occurring water on the surface such as bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground in aquifers and underground rivers. Freshwater is characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts...
environments.
The body plan of the combtooth blennies is archetypal to all other blennioids; their blunt heads and eyes are large, with large continuous dorsal fins (which may have 3-17 spines).
Combtooth blennies are blennioids; perciform marine
fishA fish is any aquatic vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins...
of the family
Blenniidae. They are the largest family of blennies, with approximately 371 species in 53 genera represented. Combtooth blennies are found in tropical and subtropical waters in the
AtlanticThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres , it covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface and about one-quarter of its water surface area. The first part of its name refers to the Atlas of Greek...
,
PacificThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Tepre Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It extends from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south, bounded by Asia and...
and
Indian OceanThe Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering about 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by South Asia ; on the west by Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean...
s; some species are also found in brackish and even
freshwaterFreshwater is naturally occurring water on the surface such as bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground in aquifers and underground rivers. Freshwater is characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts...
environments.
Physical description
The body plan of the combtooth blennies is archetypal to all other blennioids; their blunt heads and eyes are large, with large continuous dorsal fins (which may have 3-17 spines). Their bodies are compressed, elongate and scaleless; the small, slender pelvic fins (which are absent in only two species) are situated before the enlarged pectoral fins, and the tail fin is rounded. As their name would suggest, combtooth blennies are noted for their comb-like teeth lining their jaws.
By far the largest species is the
eelTrue eels are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 19 families, 110 genera and approximately 600 species. Most eels are predators...
-like hairtail blenny at 53 centimetres in length; most other members of the family are much smaller. Combtooth blennies are active and often highly colourful, making them popular in the
aquariumAn aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
hobby.
Habitat and behaviour
Generally benthic fish, combtooth blennies spend much of their time on or near the bottom. They may inhabit the rocky crevices of
reefIn nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
s, burrows in sandy or muddy substrates, or even empty shells. Generally found in shallow waters, some combtooth blennies are capable of leaving the water for short periods during low tide, aided by their large pectoral fins which act as "feet". Small benthic
crustaceanCrustaceans are a very large group of arthropods, comprising almost 52,000 described species , and are usually treated as a subphylum . They include various familiar animals, such as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles...
s, mollusks and other sessile
invertebrateAn invertebrate is an animal without a vertebral column. The group includes 95% of all animal species — all animals except those in the Chordate subphylum Vertebrata ....
s are the primary food items for most species; others eat algae or
planktonPlankton consist of any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. Plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than their phylogenetic or taxonomic classification...
.
There is one exceptional group of combtooth blennies which deserve special mention: the so-called
sabre-toothed blenniesThe sabre-toothed blenny, Aspidontus taeniatus, is a species of blenny that mimics the "dance" of Labroides dimidiatus; a similarly colored species of cleaner wrasse. It tricks fish into offering their underparts to be cleaned. Instead of eating parasites from the scales of the fish, the...
of the genera
Aspidontus,
Meiacanthus,
Petroscirtes,
Plagiotremus, and
Xiphasia. These blennies have fang-like teeth with venom glands at their bases. Species of the genera
Apistodontus and
Plagiotremus (such as the false cleanerfish) are noted for their cunning mimickry of cleaner
wrasseThe wrasses are a family, Labridae, of marine fish, many of which are brightly colored. The family is large and diverse, with about 500 species in 60 genera....
s: by imitating the latter's colour, form and behaviour, the blennies are able to trick other fish (or even divers) into letting down their guard, long enough for the blennies to nip a quick mouthful of skin or scale.
Some combtooth blennies will form small groups, while others are solitary and territorial. They may be either
diurnalDiurnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the day and sleeping at night. Animals that are not diurnal might be nocturnal or crepuscular . Many animal species are diurnal, including many mammals, insects and birds...
or nocturnal, depending on the species. Females lay eggs in shells or under rock ledges; males guard the nest of eggs until hatching. In some species the eggs may remain in the
oviductIn oviparous animals , the passage from the ovaries to the outside of the body is known as the oviduct. The eggs travel along the oviduct...
of the female until hatched. The fry of some species undergo an
ophioblennius stage, wherein the fish are
pelagicAny water in the sea that is not close to the bottom is in the pelagic zone. The word pelagic comes from the Greek πέλαγος or pélagos, which means open sea....
(i.e., inhabiting the midwater) and have greatly enlarged pectoral fins and hooked teeth.
Genera
- Aidablennius
- Alloblennius
- Alticus
- Andamia
- Antennablennius
- Aspidontus
- Atrosalarias
- Bathyblennius
- Blenniella
- Blennius
Blennius is a Genus of Perciform fish in the family Blenniidae. Its members include Blennius ocellaris, the Butterfly Blenny.- Species :*Butterfly Blenny Blennius ocellaris*Common Blenny or Shanny Blennius pholis...
- Chalaroderma
- Chasmodes
- Cirripectes
- Cirrisalarias
- Coryphoblennius
- Crossosalarias
- Dodekablennos
- Ecsenius
Ecsenius is a genus of fish in the Blenniidae family.It contains the following species:*Ecsenius aequalis, Fourline blenny*Ecsenius alleni*Ecsenius aroni, Aron's blenny*Ecsenius australianus, Australian blenny...
- Enchelyurus
- Entomacrodus
Entomacrodus is a genus of fish in the Blenniidae family.It contains the following species:* Entomacrodus cadenati...
- Exallias
- Glyptoparus
- Haptogenys
- Hirculops
- Hypleurochilus
- Hypsoblennius
- Istiblennius
- Laiphognathus
- Lipophrys
- Litobranchus
- Lupinoblennius
- Meiacanthus
- Mimoblennius
- Nannosalarias
- Oman
- Omobranchus
- Omox
- Ophioblennius
Ophioblennius is a Genus of Blenniidae.
__FORCETOC__-Species:It comprises 3 species:
*Redlip blenny*Large-banded blenny*Triple Blenny-Physical Description:...
- Parablennius
- Parahypsos
- Paralipophrys
- Paralticus
- Parenchelyurus
- Pereulixia
- Petroscirtes
- Phenablennius
- Plagiotremus
- Praealticus
- Rhabdoblennius
- Salaria
Salaria is a genus of fish in the Blenniidae family.It contains the following species:* Salaria economidisi* Salaria fluviatilis...
- Salarias
Salarias is a genus of fish in the Blenniidae family.It contains the following species:* Salarias alboguttatus, White-spotted blenny* Salarias ceramensis, Seram blenny* Salarias quadripennis, Jewelled blenny...
- Scartella
- Scartichthys
- Spaniblennius
- Stanulus
- Xiphasia
External links