Plagiotremus azaleus
Sabertooth 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)
Plagiotremus
Plagiotremus azaleus (Sabertooth Blenny)
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: elongated.
Distribution
Eastern Pacific: Gulf of California to Peru, including the Galapagos Islands (Ref. 5227).
Habitat Associations
Marine. reef-associated. depth range 2-23 m. Found in: coral reefs.
Biology
Adults live in empty tube-worm snail shells, often extending the head from the opening. They feed by joining loose groups of look-alike rainbow wrasse and darting out to nip at nearby fish, taking mucus and perhaps small bits of flesh (Ref. 5227). The skin of larger fishes is the mainstay of the diet, although they are also known to eat eggs (Ref. 28023). Oviparous (Ref. 205). Eggs are attached to the walls of the parent's shelter and are brooded by the male parent (Ref. 56053). Larvae are planktonic, often found in shallow, coastal waters (Ref. 94114).
Max length: 10.0 cm TL.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; guarders (nesters); parental care: paternal. Oviparous, distinct pairing (Ref. 205). Males guard the eggs until they hatch (Ref. 56053).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2007-05-25. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
References
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Humann, P. and N. DeLoach (1993) Reef fish identification. Galápagos. New World Publications, Inc., Florida. 267 p.
Allen, G.R. and D.R. Robertson (1994) Fishes of the tropical eastern Pacific. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu. 332 p.
Grove, J.S. and R.J. Lavenberg (1997) The fishes of the Galápagos Islands. Stanford University Press, Stanford, 863 p.
Watson, W. (1996) Blenniidae: combtooth blennies. p. 1182-1199. In H.G. Moser (ed.) The early stages of fishes in the California Current Region. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) Atlas No. 33. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 1505 p.
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