Combtooth blenny

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Combtooth blennies
Scartella cristata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Blenniiformes
Family: Blenniidae
Rafinesque, 1810
Subfamilies
Combtooth blenny (Alticus anjouanae), La Réunion

Combtooth blennies are

freshwater
environments.

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 three to 17 spines). Their bodies are compressed, elongated, and scaleless; their small, slender pelvic fins (which are absent in only two species) are situated before their enlarged pectoral fins, and their tail fins are rounded. As their name would suggest, combtooth blennies are noted for the comb-like teeth lining their jaws.

By far the largest species is the

hairtail blenny at 53 cm in length; most other members of the family are much smaller. Combtooth blennies are active and often highly colourful, making them popular in the aquarium
hobby.

Habitat and behaviour

Blue-lined sabertooth blenny
Plagiotremus rhinorhynchos in a rock hole

Generally

algae or plankton
.

One exceptional group of combtooth blennies deserves special mention: the so-called

venom glands at their bases. Species of the genera Aspidontus and Plagiotremus (such as the false cleanerfish) are noted for their cunning mimicry of cleaner wrasses
: 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.

A very protective Petroscirtes variabilis male risks his life to protect his brood

Some combtooth blennies form small groups, while others are solitary and territorial. They may be either

eggs
in shells or under rock ledges; males guard the nest of eggs until hatching.

Close-up of eggs mass in the various developmental stages. The clear orange eggs are likely recently laid, while those with eyes were laid earlier

In some species, the eggs may remain in the oviduct of the female until hatched. The fry of some species undergo an 'ophioblennius' stage, wherein the fish are pelagic (i.e., inhabiting the midwater) and have greatly enlarged pectoral fins and hooked teeth.

Classification

wrasses

This family is currently divided into two subfamilies and approximately 58 genera and 397 species.[1]

The following genera are classified within the family Blenniidae:[2][3]

Timeline

QuaternaryNeogenePaleogeneHolocenePleist.Plio.MioceneOligoceneEocenePaleoceneBlenniusExalliasQuaternaryNeogenePaleogeneHolocenePleist.Plio.MioceneOligoceneEocenePaleocene

See also

References

  • Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 363: 1–560. Archived from the original on 2009-02-20. Retrieved 2011-05-19.
  1. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6. Archived from the original
    on 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  2. ^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2013). "Blenniidae" in FishBase. February 2013 version.
  3. ^ Smith-Vaniz, W.F. & Rose, J.M. (2012): Adelotremus leptus, a new genus and species of sabertooth blenny from the Red Sea (Teleostei: Blenniidae: Nemophini). Zootaxa,3249: 39–46.
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