Enneanectes altivelis
Lofty Triplefin
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Tripterygiidae (Triplefins)
Enneanectes
Enneanectes altivelis (Lofty Triplefin)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Scales on pectoral fin base and belly; relatively long first spine of first dorsal fin; top of head spinose; lateral ethmoid and sphenotic bones expanded into flanges; anterior flange and nasal bone smooth, posterior flange spinose; snout pointed; anterior naris a short tube with lobate tentacle; posterior naris on anterior margin of orbit; orbital tentacle longer than broad; maxilla extends beyond middle of eye; jaw teeth conical, recurved, in bands; vomerine teeth in V-shaped patch; palatine lacks teeth; operculum margin slightly concave with spines above, rounded and smooth below; 6-7 short gill rakers on lower limb of first gill arch; measurements (% SL): head length 31.9-35.4%, snout length 8.4-11.2%, eye diameter 9.8-12.9%, upper jaw length 14.2-15.8%, pectoral fin length 32-39.8%, first spine of first dorsal fin 17.2-22.7%, third spine of second dorsal fin 15.7-18.9%, head depth 18.8-22.7%, caudal peduncle depth 9-11.4%; pectoral fin rays 13-15 (usually 14); first dorsal fin spines 3, second dorsal fin spines 10-12, third dorsal fin rays 7-8; pelvic fin with 1 embedded spine and 2 rays; anal fin with 2 spines and 14-16 (usually 15) rays; body and head mostly covered with ctenoid scales, belly and pectoral fin base with cycloid scales; lateral line discontinuous with 10-12 (usually 11) pored scales anteriorly and 20-22 notched scales posteriorly
Color in preservative almost white to light tan with five rather strong brown bars on side; last bar on base of caudal fin most distinct
Distribution
Western Atlantic from southern Florida and Bahamas to Nicaragua, including Gulf of Mexico and Greater and Lesser Antilles
Gulf of Mexico, known from Dry Tortugas and Campeche Bay
Habitat Associations
Marine. reef-associated. Found in: coral reefs.
Biology
Maximum known size 22.6 mm SL
Adults live in and about coral reefs and rocky shores in clear water (Ref. 7251). Eggs are hemispherical and covered with numerous sticky threads that anchor them in the algae on the nesting sites (Ref. 240). Larvae are planktonic which occur primarily in shallow, nearshore waters (Ref. 94114).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; guarders (nesters); parental care: paternal.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2010-05-03. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial.
References
Rosenblatt 1960
Birdsong and Emery 1968
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Greenfield and Johnson 1981
Robins and Ray 1986
Smith 1997
Williams 2002a
Thresher, R.E. (1984) Reproduction in reef fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Neptune City, New Jersey. 399 p.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Williams, J.T. (2003) Tripterygiidae. Triplefins. p. 1748-1749. In K.E. Carpenter (ed.) FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae), sea turtles and marine mammals.
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