| Spinyhead blenny | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Blenniiformes |
| Family: | Chaenopsidae |
| Genus: | Acanthemblemaria |
| Species: | A. spinosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Acanthemblemaria spinosa Metzelaar, 1919 | |
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Acanthemblemaria spinosa, the spinyhead blenny, is a species of blenny native to the tropical western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
The spinyhead blenny has a mottled black, white and red coloration over the entire body, which is rather elongated. As with most blennies, the head of this animal has small, hair-like appendages over the eyes, which are large and red. The dorsal fin has 20 to 22 spines and 13 to 16 soft rays. The anal fin has two spines and 21 to 25 soft rays. It grows to a total length of 2.8 cm (1.1 in). [2]
The spinyhead blenny is native to the tropical western central Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Its range extends from the Antilles, the Bahamas, and Florida to Curaçao. It typically inhabits small, rocky reefs surrounded by sand, and is known as a tube blenny from its habit of occupying a hole in a coral or an empty worm tube from which it pokes out its head. Its depth range is down to about 20 m (66 ft). [2]
The spinyhead blenny is most often found on elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) and inhabits the empty tubes of vermetid mollusks and serpulid worms. [2] Competition for suitable holes is high and any vacated hole is soon occupied by another blenny from the area. Each blenny remains in its hole, but may be replaced by a larger fish after combat. Blennies displaced by 5 m (16 ft) are able to find their way back to their original hole, so they likely do sometimes leave their holes to explore their territories. [3] They are opportunistic feeders, preferring to dart out quickly and retrieve food bits from the water column, as opposed to engaging in active foraging and hunting behavior. Their diet mainly consists of small crustaceans and planktonic particles.
In the home aquarium, they are entertaining and only require a moderate degree of care. They are reef safe.
The blennioid family Chaenopsidae includes the pike-blennies, tube-blennies, and flagblennies, all percomorph marine fish in the order Blenniiformes. The family is strictly tropical, ranging from North to South America. Members are also present in waters off Japan, Taiwan and Korea. Fourteen genera and 90 species are represented, the largest being the sarcastic fringehead, Neoclinus blanchardi, at 30 cm (12 in) in length; most are much smaller, and the group includes perhaps the smallest of all vertebrates, Acanthemblemaria paula, measuring just 1.3 cm (0.51 in) long as an adult.
Aulostomus maculatus, the West Atlantic trumpetfish, is a long-bodied fish with an upturned mouth. It often swims vertically while trying to blend with vertical coral, such as sea rods, sea pens, and pipe sponges.
The graysby is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is in the family Serranidae which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the western Atlantic. It is associated with reefs and is a quarry species for commercial and recreational fisheries.
The banded butterflyfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish found in the tropical western Atlantic Ocean from Brazil to Bermuda. Common names include the banded butterflyfish, the butterbun, the butterflyfish, the Portuguese butterfly, the school mistress and the banded mariposa.
The yellowfin grouper is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the warmer waters of the western Atlantic Ocean.
Acanthurus bahianus, the ocean surgeon or ocean surgeonfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae, the surgeonfishes, unicornfishes and tangs. This species is found on reefs in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil. It is sometimes marketed as a food item, but it is more often used as bait, or in tropical saltwater aquaria.
The spotted drum or spotted ribbonfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. This species is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
Stegastes planifrons is a damselfish from the Western Atlantic. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.
Acanthemblemaria is a genus of chaenopsid blennies native to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
The Pluma porgy is an ocean-going fish of the family Sparidae. In many parts of the Caribbean, it is simply known as the Pluma, while in Jamaica can be called the Pimento grunt, and is sometimes called the West Indian porgy in the United States. The Pluma porgy was described by Alphone Guichenot, a French zoologist who taught, researched, and participated in specimen collecting trips on behalf of the National Natural History Museum in Paris, in 1869.
The Australian blenny is a small marine blennioid fish of the genus Ecsenius. They are small and reddish brown with a white ventral side. Australian blennies inhabit the shallow marine waters of the tropics. They are often found along the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea of Australia.
Chasmodes saburrae, the Florida blenny, is a species of combtooth blenny found in the western central Atlantic Ocean, around the coast of the United States.
The seaweed blenny is a species of combtooth blenny found in coral reefs in the western Atlantic Ocean along the coasts of New York, Bermuda, the Bahamas, also in the Gulf of Mexico, south to southern Brazil. This species reaches a length of 8.5 centimetres (3.3 in) TL.
Acanthemblemaria maria, the secretary blenny, is a species of chaenopsid blenny found in shallow seas in the western central Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It can reach a maximum length of 5 cm (2.0 in) TL.
Gobioclinus gobio is a strictly marine ray finned fish, also called Gobioclinus gobio. Its common name is the palehead blenny, and is sometimes referred to as the goggle-eye blenny. It can be identified by its greenish top, red belly, and multicolored banding. L. gobio is a benthic organism with a wide range, taking up residence in a number of coastal environments from Florida to Brazil. This means the fish can live in equatorial, subtropical, and tropical climatic zones. It is native to coastal areas of the Caribbean. Its diet consists mainly of different molluscs and echinoderms.
Paraclinus grandicomis, the horned blenny, is a perciform marine species of labrisomid blenny native to reefs of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It is a benthic fish so it cruises along above the sandy or rocky seabed and foraging for crustaceans.
Starksia atlantica, the smooth-eye blenny, is a species of labrisomid blenny native to the western central Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea where it inhabits coral reefs at depths of around 8 metres (26 ft).
Paroncheilus affinis, the bigtooth cardinalfish or longtooth cardinalfish, is a species of marine fish in the family Apogonidae and the only member of its genus. The bigtooth cardinalfish lives in the west-central Atlantic, off southern Florida, United States, and from the Bahamas to Venezuela, and as far south as Suriname. This species also is found in the east-central Atlantic and the Gulf of Guinea, and has been reported as far as Cape Verde. It is a pale orangeish colour.
The red hind, also known as the koon or lucky grouper in Caribbean vernacular, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is native to the western Atlantic Ocean where it ranges from the eastern United States to Brazil. It is the most common species of Epinephelus in the Caribbean.
Chaetodon zanzibarensis, the Zanzibar butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It has a wide distribution throughout the western Indian Ocean stretching from the eastern coast of Africa to Madagascar, the Seychelles, Réunion and Mauritius. Its named after the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar
