Unidentified blenny  11/11/09 Hi There! Funny that we've always been able to find the answer to our questions on the site, and then twice within a week I have new unanswered questions! My husband netted our mantis shrimp a few days ago, and we got all of the rock back in, and water back to perfection, and I set out to restock our tank. I picked up this blenny at my LFS who had him labeled as a “red finned blenny” when I got him home he almost resembled a leopard blenny because his camouflage was so elaborate. I Googled and searched WWM for a “red finned blenny” but with no results. At first I thought he may be an ember blenny but his face is different, his eyes don’t protrude as much, he doesn’t have any of the filament things on his head and his dorsal fin is shaped much more like that of Atrosalarias fuscus fuscus. In fact, his entire body structure is very similar to a black sail fin blenny. His coloration however is quite different. First, he changes colors A LOT! And seems to blend in with his surroundings flawlessly- he is always very colorful) (If he’s sitting on a purple rock, he’s purple, if the rock is orange, he is orange.) He has a red line that runs the length of the top of his dorsal fin, I don’t see any teeth in his mouth comb or fang, and his dorsal and pectoral fins are elongated and come to a point towards his tail. I have not been able to get any good pictures of him yet, only a blurry one, but I was able to find some images online of a fish just like him (but without the red line on the dorsal fin) that was miss-labeled as a horse face blenny. (so, 3 pics: 2 from the web, “daytime” and “night time” and the blurry on is my fish while in the acclamation process) I really have no idea what he could be, but if anyone has an answer, it’s you guys! Thanks in advance for the help. <Is your fish here? http://wetwebmedia.com/algaeblensart.htm I think it may be a Salarias ceramensis. Bob Fenner>

Re: unidentified blenny  11/11/09 I had actually checked the blenny page before emailing you (it is very good by the way) to see if I could find him, and no, I don't think he is a Salarias ceramensis. The dorsal and pectoral fins are wrong (look towards the tail) , and my fish's eyes are set more closely in his head. Also my fish is much more colorful than a Salarias ceramensis, and can actually be mostly one color all over, then change to have all the speckles all over his body. He also lacks any of the filament antenna things that make some blennies look almost hairy. <Interesting... and you likely know there are hundreds (about 420) species of true blennies... Maybe take a/the long look on Fishbase.org re the pix/species: http://www.fishbase.org/identification/specieslist.cfm?famcode=392&areacode= Happy hunting! BobF>

"Special" Multicolor Blenny, not responding...  4/22/09 Hello and thank you for providing the wonderful service that is the WetWebMedia website, <Hi Edgar, and you're welcome.> I recently purchased what I now believe to be a mislabeled fish. My LFS had it labeled as a Leopard Blenny, but a quick image search when I got home revealed that it likely is not. It's a bit over 4" long and a bit thicker than a nickel. I attached a photo. Any idea what it could be? I've been searching the net for days and can't come up with anything. Many thanks in advance, <I can't find a match either, but likely it's a blenny from the genus Ecsenius... Bob? <<? James?>> James (Salty Dog)> Edgar <<... it's not me either... This looks like a Jawfish species (Family Opistognathidae) rather than a Blenny, Blennioid. RMF>>

Mail. Not goby/Jaw ID  – 04/22/09 Bob, Re <<... it's not me either... This looks like a Jawfish species (Family Opistognathidae) rather than a Blenny, Blennioid. RMF>> Believe you called it....now likely an Opistognathus specie, quite possibly the Chestnut Jawfish. You're the man! James <We're the petfish men! B>

Black Blenny with Blue Spots... ID   03/21/2008 Hello, <<G'Morning, Andrew today>> I picked up a blenny today. It was labeled as "Black Midas Blenny w/ blue spots (Ecsenius midas)". However I haven't been able to find any information on this fish. <<Read here http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ecseniusblennies1.htm >> I also haven't been able to get pictures yet, due to the fact that as soon as I released it into its new home, it hid and isn't being cooperative in posing as of yet. <<It will, as soon as it settles in>> After looking at the site I think the fish looks most like Atrosalarias or Cirripectes, although I know that outside appearance doesn't always determine the Genus or species of a fish. <<True, these do change colour when stressed>> Any information would be appreciated. Thank you in advance, Doran <<Thanks for the questions, hope this helps. A Nixon>> Re: Black Blenny with Blue Spots 03/23/2008 This isn't the best picture, but it shows off the blue on the face. <<Ecsenius namiyei>> I looked at Ecsenius, here and on FishBase, and I am leaning towards either E. midas variant, or E. namiyei. I don't know where they originated but they came to the US from the Philippines area of the Indian/Pacific Oceans. Thanks again, Doran <<Thanks for the follow up. A Nixon>>

Ga-Ga For His Goby-But It's a Blenny!  11/15/07 Hi there, <Hey there. Scott F. here today!> I was wondering if you could help me identify my species of goby? I have searched online and asked at my LFS but cannot seem to find the exact species. I have attached two pictures above for reference. Thanks for any help you can give. Mark <Well, Mark- it's actually a Blenny: Ecsenius stigmatura, the "Tailspot Blenny". It's an awesome little fish (maxes out at 2 inches or so). Mainly herbivorous, and pretty peaceful, too! I love 'em. They have wonderful personalities and are very good community fishes. They can get a bit feisty with other Blennies, so you have to stock carefully, but they are otherwise really great little fish. Enjoy! Regards, Scott F.>

Re: Check ID/Feeding of your "Sailfin" Blenny, Before Purchasing  - 03/12/07
<Hi Lance, Pufferpunk here>
I'm confused - I was under the impression that this was an algae eater, hence the name (lawn mower), it eats algae of the glass and rocks yet your suggestion is that it only eats "whole-animal foods" so what is it that I did not research before my purchase? Is this not an algae eater?
<In reference to your previous question about your "Sailfin" blenny: The "lawnmower" blenny is not the same creature as a "Sailfin" blenny.  2 totally different species that eat 2 totally different foods.  We can't give you the correct info, without proper ID.  ~PP>
Lance

Sailfin Blenny  3/21/07
Sorry for confusion - this is a lawn mower blenny - I guess some also call it a sailfin but it is definitely an algae eater
<What was the question?  ~PP>
Lance

Horse Faced Blenny I.D.   3/1/07 Hi guys! <Hello.> I'm hoping you can help me ID the attached fish. <Will attempt is very small/blurry.> It was found in the gulf of Mexico in shallow water off the coast of Texas.  My guess is some species of scorpionfish maybe? <I do not believe so.>   The person that found and caught it says that it has kind of a red Mohawk on the top of its head.  They have added it to their reef tank along with a second specimen of the same species that they have assumed is the female version. <Mmm...not a god idea to collect and add to display without quarantine or knowing what the animal is but it appears to be a blenny, specifically Ophioblennius steindachneri which would fit the geographical area you have collected it in. As far as having a male and a female, as far as I know Sexual Dimorphism is not readily apparent with this species, though Bob will correct me if I am mistaken.> <<I do agree with your Adam. RMF>>   I'm really curious as to what it is. <See above and search WWM for care re:> Hope you can help.   <A larger picture would be nice but I am fairly certain of my I.D.> Thanks.   <Of course.> Ginger <Adam J.>

actual size of the graphic sent

Re Blenny I.D.  3/3/07 Thanks for your reply on my fish ID. <Of course.> I've attached one more picture that's a little better. <No.....a lot....better, thanks.> This one shows him with his "crest" up.  Do you still say it's a Horse Faced Blenny? <Yes.> Thanks again. <Of course.> Ginger <Adam J.>

Blenny ID  1/17/07 Hey Crew! <"You EEdiot Schtimpy!"... Uhh, read and follow instructions please... your too-large image has crashed our email server... THANKS!> I managed to get a picture of the blenny that I asked if you could identify for me. As I said before, it's very elongated, has a light brown under shade with purplish-brown bars in intervals on its sides. The tail and fins a large and speckled silver and black. The head has a distinctive rounded crest and two stripes running from that to about eye level. Besides the ridge it seems very similar to the Redspotted Blenny (Istiblennius chrysospilos). The two pictures are attached with the email. See what you think about it and let me know. Thanks again, George <Does look like an Istiblennius species... maybe this one: http://fishbase.org/Photos/ThumbnailsSummary.php?ID=6047 Bob Fenner>

Blenny ID 1/14/07
Hi Crew!
<Hi George>
I recently purchased a blenny from my LFS that was labeled as an "eyelash blenny". I know this is a generic name and was wondering if you could help me identify it. It is long and slinky with a mottled reddish brown-gray color. It has the characteristic "eyelashes" but there is a rounded ridge on the top of the head with two vertical pink bars that run from the top of the ridge to the eye level. Besides the ridge it seems very similar to the Redspotted Blenny (Istiblennius chrysospilos). I have already looked at your ID pages and was wondering if you have any idea of what it could be.
<George, identifying a particular fish from a large family is difficult with just a description.  Is best to send a photo along for an accurate ID.>
Thanks for your time,
<You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)> <<RMF would have sent him to Fishbase.org with the common name...>>
George

Salarias ceramensis
Bob,
I have checked your site again but didn't see anything posted.  Is your site interested about range extension for Salarias ceramensis?  I can let you have a photo taken at Heron Island in natural surroundings if you are.
Kind Regards
Brian Mayes
<No pic needed if you don't want to have it posted, credited to you. Would however send your range extension information to fishbase.org. Look up the species and click on the... oh, wait, I see you already have. http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=7749&genusname=Salarias&speciesname=ceramensis
Bob Fenner>

Salarias ceramensis, range extension Dear Sir, With reference to page http://www.wetwebmedia.com/../trublennies.htm I photographed Salarias ceramensis at a depth of 10m between "Pam's Point" and "Heron Bommie"  off Heron Island on 10th Oct 2003. Your web page photograph  in an aquarium  and does not mention the range in GBR. With my find, the range has been extended. Below is a series of emails between me and The Australian Museum, National Museum of Natural History in Washington  and Paul Humann. At the bottom are a couple of the photographs. I would be happy for you to update your website with these and the new information providing of course you correctly credit the photography and identification. Kind Regards Brian Mayes <Will post. Thank you for sending this along. Bob Fenner> Hi Brian, I just saw your forwarded email from Vic Springer further down in my inbox. I'm delighted that Vic confirmed the identification as S. ceramensis. I will go ahead and add your image to the current webpage and update the description of the fish in the text. Yes, the fish is a range extension! Well done. I will mention this on the webpage. I'll email you when this is done. Thanks heaps, your image will really improve the page. Cheers, Mark McGrouther Collection Manager Australian Museum Fish Section Division of Vertebrate Zoology Dear Mr. Mayes, I concur with Paul Humann that the specimen is Salarias ceramensis, and possibly represents a southern range extension for the species, if it came from the Heron Island area (I would have to do a lot of checking in order to verify if it is a range extension). The photo of the specimen illustrated at the web site you mentioned was taken several thousand kilometers from where you photographed your specimen. The color pattern of your specimen is more typical of the species. Blennies often modify their color pattern to accord with their "emotional" state, frequently becoming dark or pale when stressed, which might account for the dark pattern of the web-site specimen. Thank you for calling the specimen to my attention. Sincerely, Victor G. Springer Curator, Senior Scientist Smithsonian Institution PO Box 37012 National Museum of Natural History - MRC-159 Washington, DC 20013-7012 USA Office: 202-357-3305 Fax: 202-357-2986 email: XXXX@nmnh.si.edu Dear  Sirs, I contacted the author Paul Humann about a blenny I photographed off Heron Island. He advises it to be Salarias ceramensis. I found your  names credited with the identification of a photo of Salarias ceramensis  on the Australian Museum website  at  page http://www.amonline.net.au/fishes/fishfacts/fish/sceramensis.htm . The description and photo on the web site doesn't tie up with my photos below. I wondered if you agreed with Paul Humann that my photo is indeed Salarias ceramensis and if this is the case and mine is a variant, then would you like a photograph Kind Regards Brian Mayes Subject: Re: Fish Ident. Hi Brian, I've checked with a couple of people and your mystery blenny is probably Salarias ceramensis, sorry but there appears to be no common name. Best "fishes, "     Paul Dear Paul, I wonder if I could ask you for some help. I have been trying to identify a fish I photographed on a dive off Heron Island, GBR, Australia. It seems like a type of Blenny but I can't seem to find it in "Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea", by John E. Randall, Gerald R. Allen and Roger C. Steene. Do you have an email address for any of the authors? Better still can you identify it? Photographed at a depth of 10m between "Pam's Point" and "Heron Bommie"  off Heron Island on 10th Oct 2003. Kind Regards Brian Mayes

Tiger Blenny
Hi Guys,
<Hi Megan, MikeD here>
I've recently purchased a Tiger Blenny from my local aquarium (am in
Australia) - but can't find out anything about him!!!
The most I have found is a picture, but no useful information!
I thought you guys would have a vast information base, so here I am!
Any links, info you have would be greatly appreciated.<This one is extremely tricky do to the fact that often each species has many common or "trade" names, made more confusing by the fact that this often changes from locality to locality and new trade names are regularly introduced by ambitions marketers looking for a new angle.  If you found a photo, my suggestion is to look carefully at same and see if there's  genus/species info (the Latin or Greek terms) attached and do a further search on that basis.  While a few members of the family are vegetarians, the vast majority are predators or omnivores so you'd probably be safe increasing the protein in it's diet with shrimp, squid, and crustacean foods (I use the local supermarket preferentially over the LFS with excellent results)>
Thanks very much,
Megan Whall

Vietnamese Blenny?  8/31/04
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
You guys have an awesome site that has helped a ton in the past and I'm sure will help more in the future.
<Thank you very much!>
Lately I've been hearing a lot about a new brackish fish called the Vietnamese blenny and actually we just got two at the shop I work at and it appears to be a neat fish. It's a brown color with some lighter stripes, and appears to be very similar to the algae blenny's, although I have not had much chance to observe them yet. My question is, as I have not been able to find it anywhere on the net or in any of the books.  Could you help me locate the scientific name of this fish so I can get more info on them.
<I have never heard of any BW blenny's.  I think this is probably a SW fish that has been unfairly acclimated to BW.  It probably belongs in SW.  Look through the SW section of WWM site for the ID. ~PP>
Thank you very much in advance, Kyle Woekel.

Black Widow Blenny ID
I just purchased what is called a black widow blenny from a friend who owns a 
pet store and was wondering if you new anything or could tell me where I 
could look , my friend says he's only seen one in his life time and has 
nothing in his books. If you could help I would appreciate it thanks.
>>
Hmm, this is actually a livebearing Cusk Eel (family Bythitidae, Order Ophidiiformes)... from the West Atlantic... stays small (about 3" overall, 7.5 cm. long...) eats most all meaty foods... easygoing. Fancy name is Stygnobrotula latebricola... sold as Black Widow "Goby" in the trade... a jumper. You might want to look on ICLARM's FishBase for what little can be found in the scientific literature on this animal. Bob Fenner

Name that Blenny!
What are some of the common names associated with Atrosalarias to help me locate them in my LFS?
>>
Hmm, Highfin Blenny... Brown or Coral Blenny... many other common names possible... Take a look at FishBase for pix, species... exp. A. fuscus.
Bob Fenner

Name this fish? :)
WWM Group-
We bought a fish at the LFS quite a while ago, we'd never seen the
type before but decided to give it a try. The owner didn't know the name, he
thought it was a blenny of some sort, and had put one in his tank successfully.
We called him the Blue Dragon Blenny. He disappeared recently and we want
to get another one. He had quite a personality. He was a grayish-blue with
antennas, he looks similar to the Black Sailfin Blenny picture on flying fish express.
He was about 4 inches long but we don't know if he was an adult. He perched,
often pushing our hawk out of his favorite spots, he was also quite the algae eater.
We know this is probably a lost cause but thanks for anything at all.
<Hopefully this is one of the several hundred possible blennies that is commonly collected. I'll guess it's an Atrosalarias fuscus (come in different colors). Please see on our root web here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/trublennies.htm Is this the animal? Bob Fenner>
Thanks-
Elaine

Midas blenny
Evening guys, <<Hello, Jason, it's Jason...>>
Just a quick question! I purchased a midas blenny today, which is already pigging out. <<Good deal.>> I've been looking at pics of these guys just to get a handle on their normal and stressed color patterns so I can watch for trouble. After looking at the images you have posted, are you sure that the middle photograph (the one immediately to the left of the lyretail Anthias) is a midas? <<Pretty sure it is, they can vary in color pretty strongly depending on mood, stress, sleep time and some other unexplainable reasons.>> It looks more like a canary blenny, which I have gone well out of my way to avoid! :)
Just curious as my midas does not have the vibrant yellow coloration, and I'm not sure if that is normal or not. <<Yeah, that's normal... give it some time.>>
Thanks!, Jason
<<Cheers, J -- >>