Shanny | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Blenniiformes |
Family: | Blenniidae |
Genus: | Lipophrys |
Species: | L. pholis |
Binomial name | |
Lipophrys pholis | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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Lipophrys pholis, commonly known as shanny, also known as the smooth blenny or common blenny, is a species of combtooth blenny. [3] It matures at two years of age. [3] Distributed in the Eastern Atlantic from the southern Norway to Morocco and Madeira, including the Mediterranean and the Balearics. [4] Lipophrys pholis feed primarily on crustaceans, but also feed on other invertebrates and plants. [3]
Lipophrys pholis has an elongated body which measures up to 16 centimetres (6.3 in) in length. It is the typical blenny shape having an elongated body and a rather large and blunt head with relatively large eyes set high on its head and as they age the grow a fleshy ridge on the forehead. [5] The background colour is brownish, marked with green or yellow spots and they have dark spots arranged in 5–6 vertical bars along the body with a single large black spot near the origin of the dorsal fin. [6] The background colour can vary depending on the surrounding habitat and individuals vary from blotched, dark brown to blackish. [5] The males change in colour to being all black with a contrasting white mouth and a pale blue margin to the dorsal fin when in breeding condition. [7]
Lipophrys pholis has a wide distribution in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean and the western Mediterranean. It extends from Norway to Morocco and Madeira and in to the Mediterranean as far east as the Balearic Islands. [1] It is very common around the coasts of Britain and Ireland. [5]
The shanny is an intertidal species which displays homing behavior and which occurs along rocky coasts in shallow waters. This species can stay out of water sheltering under rocks or seaweeds. It is largely diurnal at high tide and it can breathe air when exposed by the ebbing tide. [4] They prefer to remain in rockpools at low tide and will only shelter in crevices or under boulders if they cannot return to a favoured pool. [8] Its food consists of small benthic invertebrates, especially snails, barnacles and amphipods, as well as some algae. Less important in its diet are crabs, polychaetes, isopods, copepods, limpets, mussels and other small molluscs. [4]
This species is oviparous: the female laying eggs which are 1.5 mm in diameter. The eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate. Spawning occurs in the warmer months of April to August. The male and female mate in pairs, the male mates with several females and guards all of their eggs. [4] Each female spawns three times in a season. [6] The eggs are laid under rocks in the intertidal zone [8] and the larvae are young can be common on shorelines in the autumn. [7]
The viviparous eelpout, also known as the, viviparous blenny and European eelpout is species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. It is notable for being ovoviviparous and gives birth to live larvae. It is a common soup ingredient in Mediterranean countries. The bones are of greenish colour, due to a harmless pigment. Their skin is slimy and the colour is variable.
Combtooth blennies are blenniiformids; percomorph marine fish of the family Blenniidae, part of the order Blenniiformes. They are the largest family of blennies with around 401 known species in 58 genera. Combtooth blennies are found in tropical and subtropical waters in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans; some species are also found in brackish and even freshwater environments.
The tompot blenny is a species of combtooth blenny from the north eastern Atlantic Ocean which is found in shallow, coastal waters off western Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa.
The European plaice, commonly referred to as simply plaice, is a species of marine flatfish in the genus Pleuronectes of the family Pleuronectidae.
Pholidae is a family of marine ray-finned fishes, known as gunnels, in the scorpaeniform suborder Zoarcoidei. These are fishes of the littoral zone and are mainly found in North Pacific Ocean, with two species found in the North Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean.
The grey triggerfish, or gray triggerfish, is a species of ray-finned fish in the triggerfish family Balistidae, the triggerfishes. The species is native to shallow parts of the western Atlantic from Nova Scotia to Argentina and also the eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea and off Angola on the west coast of Africa.
Coastal fish, also called inshore fish or neritic fish, inhabit the sea between the shoreline and the edge of the continental shelf. Since the continental shelf is usually less than 200 metres (660 ft) deep, it follows that pelagic coastal fish are generally epipelagic fish, inhabiting the sunlit epipelagic zone. Coastal fish can be contrasted with oceanic fish or offshore fish, which inhabit the deep seas beyond the continental shelves.
The common dragonet is a species of dragonet which is widely distributed in the eastern North Atlantic where it is common near Europe from Norway and Iceland southwards. It is a demersal species that occurs over sand bottoms. It lives to a maximum age of around seven years. It is caught in bycatch by fisheries and is used in the aquarium trade.
The sailfin dragonet is a species of dragonet common in the Eastern Atlantic, where it occurs on the Portuguese coast to as far north as Lisbon and south to Morocco, and also in the northern Mediterranean including the Adriatic, Aegean and Black seas as well as the coasts of Lebanon and Israel. It occurs on the southern Mediterranean shore as far east as Tunisia. Males of this species grow to a length of 14 centimetres (5.5 in) TL while females reach a length of 10 centimetres (3.9 in) TL. In the areas of the Mediterranean where it occurs it is one of the most common dragonet species, as it is the only species that has been recorded within many protected areas. It is a benthic species which occurs in shallow waters and prefers sandy bottoms down to 100 metres (330 ft). The males are territorial, aggressively defend their territories from other males and like other dragonets this species undergoes complex breeding behaviour which has 4 phases. This starts with courtship, the male and female then form a pair before ascending to the surface where they release eggs and milt. The spawning season runs from May to August in the Mediterranean and the eggs and larvae are pelagic. This species feeds mainly on small benthic invertebrates such as worms and small crustaceans.
Montagu's blenny, also known as the capuchin blenny, is a species of combtooth blenny found in the intertidal zones of the eastern Atlantic ocean from England to Madeira and the Canary Islands as well the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. This species prefers rocky shores with much wave action. This species grows to a length of 7.6 centimetres (3.0 in) SL. It is the only species in the genus Coryphoblennius.
Lipophrys is a small genus of combtooth blennies found in Atlantic ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of 57 genera in the family Blenniidae. The generic name is made up of the Greek words lipo meaning "want" or "absence" and phrys meaning "eyebrow" referring to the lack of any cirri over the eyes in the type species L. pholis.
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.
Clinitrachus argentatus, the cline, is a species of clinid found in shallow waters of the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. This species feeds primarily on benthic invertebrates. This species is currently the only known member of its genus.
The black scorpionfish, also known as the European scorpionfish or small-scaled scorpionfish, is a venomous scorpionfish, common in marine subtropical waters. It is widespread in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean from the British Isles to the Azores and Canary Islands, near the coasts of Morocco, in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.
The black-faced blenny is a small benthic fish from the family Tripterygiidae (triplefin-blennies). It occurs at depths of 3 to 40 metres and lives on the substrate under large rocks, cliffs or other overhangs.
The rock gunnel, or butterfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Pholidae, the gunnels. This species is found in the coastal waters of the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Atlantic part of the Arctic Ocean.
The crescent gunnel, also known as the bracketed blenny, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Pholidae, the gunnels. This fish occurs in the shallow coastal waters of the eastern North Pacific Ocean.
The saddleback gunnel, also known as the saddled blenny, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Pholidae, the gunnels. This fish occurs in the shallow coastal waters of the eastern North Pacific Ocean.
The radiated shanny is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Stichaeidae, the pricklebacks and shannies. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Ulvaria. This fish is found in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean.
The pink dentex is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, a family that includes the seabreams and porgies. This species is found in the temperate and tropical waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.