Hypsoblennius hentz
Feather Blenny
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Blenniidae (Combtooth Blennies)
Hypsoblennius
Hypsoblennius hentz (Feather Blenny)
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
Has a cirrus on eye, a restricted gill slit, and an incomplete lateral line. Dorsal profile of head is steep and indented posterior to eye. Upper lip has a free dorsal margin that is narrowly discontinuous over center of jaw. Lower lip has a fleshy lobe extending from corner of mouth to about half of jaw length. Anterior naris has a long filamentous flap. Cirrus on dorsal surface of eye is shorter to slightly longer than eye diameter and bears secondary cirri. Bony interorbital space is concave. Jaw teeth are setiform and bluntly pointed. Vomer lacks teeth. Gill membranes are broadly joined to isthmus. Measurements (% SL): head length 27.9%–29.5%, snout length 6%–8.2%, eye diameter 4.7%–5.2%, interorbital width 1.9%–2.9%, length of gill opening 10%–12.3%, body depth at pelvic insertion 25.5%–29.1%, caudal peduncle depth 7.6%–9.1%. Pectoral fin has 13 to 15 rays. Dorsal fin is continuous with 11 to 13 spines and 13 to 16 rays. Pelvic fin has 1 spine and 3 rays. Anal fin has 2 spines and 14 to 17 rays. Caudal fin has 13 segmented rays.
Yellowish brown dorsally and whitish ventrally, with many dark brown spots that form irregular bands on body. Brown spots form two or three dark V-shaped bands on ventral aspect of head. A large, dark oval-shaped mark is located posterior to eye. A dark spot is usually present on anterior section of dorsal fin and is centered on second spine.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Nova Scotia to Campeche Bay, discontinuous around Florida. On the east coast, not collected south of St. Lucie Inlet, FL; on the west coast, not known south of Sanibel Island, FL.
Habitat Associations
Shallow water, sea-grass flats. Spawns on natural oyster reefs.
Sea-grass flats, natural oyster reefs
Biology
Plant material, hydroids, annelids, and amphipods
Maximum known size is 103 mm SL
Spawning takes place during the summer. Eggs are deposited in empty, intact oyster shells.
Adults inhabit oyster reefs and rocky shores. 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).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2007-10-18. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: of no interest.
References
Hildebrand and Schroeder 1928
Hildebrand and Cable 1930
Springer and Woodburn 1960
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Smith-Vaniz 1980
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith 1997
Williams 2002e
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 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.
UNESCO (2002) An ecological assessment of Ulugan Bay, Palawan, Philippines. CSI info No. 12, UNESCO, Paris, 46 p.
Smith-Vaniz, W.F. (1980) Revision of Western Atlantic species of the blenniid fish genus Hypsoblennius. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 132: 285-305.
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