Labrisomids

Related Articles: Blennioids and their Relatives,

/The Conscientious Marine Aquarist

The Labrisomids, Family Labrisomidae, Suborder Blennioidea

By Bob Fenner

Malacoctenus bohlkei

The family Labrisomidae, Labrisomid Blennies; some of these are livebearing (Xenomedea & east pacific species of Starksia). Several labrisomids live in close conjunction with sea anemones and have protection from their stings. Sixteen genera with about a hundred species; Atlantic and Pacific, mostly tropical. Genera I've seen offered in the trade are Labrisomus, Starksia, Neoclinus, Exerpes, Malacoctenus (M. triangulatus at right) , Paraclinus, Dialommus, the worm-like Stathmonotus, and Xenomedea.

Genus Labrisomus:

Labrisomus dendriticus (Reid 1935), the Dendritic Blenny. To 13 cm. Southeast Pacific: the Galapagos and Malpelo islands. Feeds on crustaceans and small fishes. Males are aggressive to others of their same sex. Occur in and amongst rocky aggregations. Galapagos images of a juvenile, female and spawning colored male. http://fishbase.org/Summary/
SpeciesSummary.php?id=25531&CFID=
44388074&CFTOKEN=66360787

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Genus Malacoctenus:

Malacoctenus bohlkei Springer 1959, the Diamond Blenny. Tropical West Atlantic; Bahamas to Belize. One off of South Bimini by RMF, another in Grand Turks by Di. To about two and a half inches in length. Easily approached underwater, once observed! http://fishbase.org/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=16476&genusname=Malacoctenus&speciesname =boehlkei

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Malacoctenus ebisui, Fishgod Blenny. To 3 inches. Here's a female in Puerto Vallarta 2015 and a male in Costa Rica (Pacific Side) 2013.

Malacoctenus macropus (Poey 1868), Rosy Blenny. To 2 inches. Western Atlantic. A female here in St Thomas, USVI, 2015.

Malacoctenus gilli (Steindachner 1867), the Dusky Blenny. Tropical W. Atlantic. To three inches overall length. Here in Bonaire in 2019.

Malacoctenus tetranemus, Throatspotted Blenny. To 2.5 inches. Here a male and female in Puerto Vallarta 2015

Malacoctenus triangulatus Springer 1959, the Saddled Blenny. Western Atlantic; Bahamas to Brazil, St. Paul's Rocks. To three inches in length. One happily perched on a leather yellow coral (Hi Don!) in captivity, another in the Turks. http://fishbase.org/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=3738&genusname=Malacoctenus&speciesname =triangulatus

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