Hypsoblennius invemar
Tessellated Blenny
NS
GNR
Collection Details
Specimens
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Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Blenniidae (Combtooth Blennies)
Hypsoblennius
Hypsoblennius invemar (Tessellated 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.)
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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 broadly discontinuous over center of jaw. Lower lip has a fleshy lobe extending from corner of mouth to about half of jaw length and running about parallel to inner margin of lip. Anterior naris has a short, simple to moderately palmate cirrus extending from posterior margin. Cirrus on dorsal surface of eye is simple in juveniles and subdivided into four branches in adults, with that of males considerably longer than that of females. Bony interorbital space is concave. Jaw teeth are bluntly pointed. Vomer lacks teeth. Gill membranes are broadly fused to isthmus, restricting gill opening to distance from upper margin of operculum to below pectoral fin base. Measurements are expressed as percent of SL: head length 26.5%–32.5%, snout length 7.5%– 8.8%, eye diameter 6.3%– 6.9%, interorbital width 1.6%–1.9%, length of gill opening 16%–18.1%, body depth at pelvic insertion 27%–30%, caudal peduncle depth 9.4%–10.4%. Pectoral fin has 13 to 15 (usually 14) rays. Dorsal fin has 11 or 12 spines and 11 or 12 rays, with last spine 3.7%–7.5% of SL. Pelvic fin has 1 spine and 4 rays. Anal fin has 2 spines and 13 or 14 rays, with spines and first ray bearing fleshy rugosities in mature males. Caudal fin has 13 segmented rays.
Color in life is greenish brown. Head and, usually, pectoral fin base are blue, with bright orange to brick red spots surrounded by dark ring. In preservative, head and body are brown dorsally and dark tan ventrally, with numerous pale spots on head and, usually, pectoral fin base.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from the northern Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana
Habitat Associations
Associated with empty barnacle (Balanus) tests
Empty barnacle tests
Biology
Maximum known size is 47 mm SL
Adults live in attached, empty barnacle shells in clear waters, usually on pilings, buoys and rock ledges at or near surface. Recorded from oil platforms. 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).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; guarders. Oviparous, distinct pairing (Ref. 205).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2007-10-18. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
References
Smith-Vaniz 1980
Smith 1997
Hoese and Moore 1998
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.
Williams, J.T. (1990) Phylogenetic relationships and revision of the blenniid fish genus Scartichthys. Smith. Contrib. Zool. 492:1-30.
Cervigón, F. (1994) Los peces marinos de Venezuela. Volume 3. Fundación Científica Los Roques, Caracas,Venezuela. 295 p.
Smith, C.L. (1997) National Audubon Society field guide to tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p.
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