Paraclinus fasciatus

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Paraclinus fasciatus
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Blenniiformes
Family: Labrisomidae
Genus: Paraclinus
Species:
P. fasciatus
Binomial name
Paraclinus fasciatus
(Steindachner, 1876)
Synonyms
  • Cremnobates fasciatusSteindachner, 1876

Paraclinus fasciatus, the banded blenny, is a species of labrisomid blenny native to the Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea from southern Florida to Venezuela. The banded blenny is a marine organism, meaning it lives in an aquatic environment. This species lives in the vicinity of coral reefs preferring sea grass beds in shallow waters down to 2 metres (6.6 ft). Although they are typically located in shallow waters, their colors camouflage them exceptionally well, leading to them rarely being seen or recognized. [2] They have also been found within floating algae.

Contents

They are part of the family perciform teleost fishes within the sub order Blenniodei. The suborder blenniodei currently comprises 6 families, 151 genera, and 883 species. [3] The perciform fish lineage is distinguished by its small body size, as well as their coastal and benthic habitats. The banded blenny has a typical lifespan of one year. [4]

Taxonomic characteristics

Paraclinus fasciatus is a species within the class Osteichthyes, or bony fishes. This class represents the largest class of vertebrates, with more than 31,000 species. [5] One of the distinguishing characteristics of this class is that the organisms have a skeleton at least partially made of bone. Another characteristic being, this class typically has cycloid or ctenoid scales in comparison to pointed placoid scales. These scales are distinguished by their bony makeup and the protective layer of mucous covering them. [5] The operculum is another defining characteristic of this class, it is a gill cover which, as its name implies, protects the gills with a flap. Bony fishes typically have fin rays rather than a fleshy makeup that you see in cartilaginous fishes. Often, you will also see a swim bladder within bony fishes which acts as a floatation tool, allowing the fish to adjust its depth in the water. [5]

Morphology

Banded blennies are small and slender. Their standard length is 15 mm. [6] The color of their body ranges from different shades of brown and has thick black bar-like stripes. They have three well defined dorsal-fin spines. [7] They have fin-hook characteristics which are significant of the adaptations these blennies have made to their bottom-dwelling lifestyle. Adaptations of this pectoral fin has drawn great attention to the blennies from researchers. The lower part of the pectoral fin has a fibrous cord as well as deeply incised fin-web between neighboring rays. Banded blennies are also referred to as "combtooth blennies" because they have ctenoid scales. These are overlapping fish scales. Ctenoid scales are similar to cycloid scales which are large and thin with a circular shape. The main difference here is that ctenoid scales have spines or comb-like spikes at their free edges. [8]

Reproduction

Blenniids are typically sexually dimorphic. [9] The males are larger than the females and exhibit secondary sex characteristics (SSC). The SSC are especially seen during breeding seasons, which is typically early summer resulting in a large increase in population in late Summer/early Fall. [10] The male SSC include, an enlarged dorsal fin, glands on the anal spine, and color marks on the head or body. [11] Banded blennys are oviparous, meaning they release eggs as means of reproduction.

There are breeding patterns observed among Blenniids, this includes males defending the breeding territory in which females come to spawn in a small hole or cavity. [9] The territory is typically a sheltered area. The males provide the exclusive parental care and guard the eggs until they have hatched. [9]

Habitat

The banded blennies tend to be found in tropical/subtropical locations. Within these locations, they are found in shallow waters, in coral, rock, and sandy bottoms. These blennies also seem to favor sea grass beds. [4] They are classified as benthic, coastal fishes, although some have been found at depths of 30m. [7] There have also been studies conducted that correlate the population density of banded blennies to the amount of unattached red algae, also known as drift algae. The study conducted by Stoner shows that the more drift algae there is, the more blennies there also are. This floating red algae is able to provide shelter, as well as food for the fish. These fish are also known to be exceptionally tolerant of physical and chemical conditions within the shallow waters along coastal Florida. [10]

Feeding

Banded blennies are carnivores with highly specialized diets. Meaning, they feed on very specific species. They have teeth in their jaws to help capture prey as do most bony-fishes. Blennies tend to solely prey on amphipods when they are juveniles or below 15 mm in size. If they are above 15 mm in size their diet expands to not only amphipods, but also shrimp, crab, and isopods. [10] Although this species has a highly specialized diet, it also seems to vary with seasonal changes, leading to differences in prey species abundance. A study conducted in Apalachee Bay, Florida, found that the most important prey species were Cymadusa compta and Hippolyte zostericola. [10]

Related Research Articles

Perciformes Order of ray-finned fishes

Perciformes, also called the Percomorpha or Acanthopteri, is an order or superorder of ray-finned fish. If considered a single order, they are the most numerous order of vertebrates, containing about 41% of all bony fish. Perciformes means "perch-like". Perciformes is an Order within the Clade Percomorpha consisting of "perch-like" Percomorphans. This group comprises over 10,000 species found in almost all aquatic ecosystems.

Cirrhitidae Family of fishes

Cirrhitidae, the hawkfishes, are a family of marine perciform ray-finned fishes found in tropical seas and which are associated with coral reefs.

Prowfish Species of fish

The prowfish is a species of perciform marine fish found in the northern Pacific Ocean. It is the only extant member of the family, Zaproridae. Another species, Araeosteus rothi, is known from Late Miocene marine strata in Southern California.

Combtooth blenny Family of fishes

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 generas. 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.

Labrisomid Family of fishes

Labrisomids are small blennioids (blennies), percomorph marine fish belonging to the family Labrisomidae. Found mostly in the tropical Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, the family contains about 110 species in 15 genera.

Blenniiformes Order of fishes

Blenny is a common name for many types of fish, including several families of percomorph marine, brackish, and some freshwater fish sharing similar morphology and behaviour. Six families are considered "true blennies", grouped under the order Blenniiformes; its members are referred to as blenniiformids. About 151 genera and nearly 900 species have been described within the order. The order was formerly classified as a suborder of the Perciformes but the 5th Edition of Fishes of the World divided the Perciformes into a number of new orders and the Blenniiformes were placed in the percomorph clade Ovalentaria alongside the such taxa as Cichliformes, Mugiliformes and Gobiesociformes.

Sweeper Family of fishes

Sweepers are small, tropical marine perciform fish of the family Pempheridae. Found in the western Atlantic Ocean and Indo-Pacific region, the family contains about 26 species in two genera. One species is the target of subsistence fisheries in Japan, where the fish is much enjoyed for its taste. Sweepers are occasionally kept in marine aquaria.

Silver-banded whiting Species of fish

The silver-banded whiting, Sillago argentifasciata, is a narrowly distributed species of inshore marine fish of the smelt whiting family Sillaginidae that inhabits the coastline of a single province within the Philippines. The species' taxonomic status is still marginally uncertain, with the last major review of sillaginid fish by McKay proposing S. argentifasciata is a senior synonym of a related species, S. ingenuua. The species takes its name from a brilliant silvery strip running laterally across its body.

<i>Salarias fasciatus</i> Species of fish

Salarias fasciatus is a popular marine aquarium fish species in Australasia. Despite being also known as the lawnmower blenny due to its propensity to consume algae growth from rocks and glass, it is principally a detritivore, with plant material making up only 15% of its diet. This species reaches a length of 14 centimetres (5.5 in) TL. The lawnmower blenny is generally regarded as compatible with most other marine fish species and as a group with other lawnmower blennies.

Fish scale Rigid covering growing atop a fishs skin

A fish scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of the skin of a fish. The skin of most jawed fishes is covered with these protective scales, which can also provide effective camouflage through the use of reflection and colouration, as well as possible hydrodynamic advantages. The term scale derives from the Old French "escale", meaning a shell pod or husk.

Montagus blenny Species of fish

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.

<i>Hypleurochilus geminatus</i> Species of fish

Hypleurochilus geminatus, the crested blenny, is a species of combtooth blenny found in the western Atlantic ocean. This species grows to a length of 10 centimetres (3.9 in) TL.

Ophioblennius trinitatis is a species of combtooth blenny endemic to the southwest Atlantic ocean. It is a subtropical marine fish commonly found in reefs off the coast of Brazil. Combtooth blennies are often referred to as "peixes-macacos" in Brazil, which translates to "monkey-fish".

Portuguese blenny Species of fish

The Portuguese blenny, also known as the red blenny, is a species of combtooth blenny found in the eastern Atlantic ocean off western Europe and Macaronesia.

<i>Ecsenius axelrodi</i> Species of fish

Ecsenius axelrodi, known commonly as the Axelrod's clown blenny or the Axelrod's combtooth blenny, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Blenniidae, the combtooth blennies. It is found in shallow water on coral reefs in the western central Pacific Ocean. It was first described by Victor Gruschka Springer in 1988 and named in honour of the American ichthyologist Herbert Richard Axelrod.

Ecsenius ops, known commonly as the eye-spot blenny or the yellow-eye combtooth-blenny in Indonesia, is a species of combtooth blenny the family Blenniidae.

Ecsenius tricolor, known commonly as the Derawan combtooth-blenny in Indonesia, is a species of combtooth blenny in the genus Ecsenius. It is found in the western central Pacific ocean, around the Philippines and Borneo. It can reach a maximum length of 6 centimetres. Blennies in this species feed primarily off of plants, including benthic algae and weeds.

<i>Ecsenius trilineatus</i> Species of fish

Ecsenius trilineatus, known commonly as the three-lined blenny in Australia, and the white-spotted comb-tooth or the white-spotted combtooth blenny in Indonesia, is a species of combtooth blenny in the genus Ecsenius. It is a non-migoratory species of blenny found in coral reefs in the western central Pacific ocean. It can reach a maximum length of 3 centimetres. Blennies in this species feed primarily off of plants, including benthic algae and weeds, and are commercial aquarium fish, but of no interest in fisheries.

<i>Paraclinus grandicomis</i> Species of fish

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.

The least darter, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is generally found in lakes and streams in northeastern part of the United States and along the Mississippi River systems.

References

  1. ↑ Williams, J.T. (2014). "Paraclinus fasciatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T46104430A48356115. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T46104430A48356115.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Victor, Benjamin. "Family Labrisomidae". Coralreeffish.com. Benjamin Victor.
  3. ↑ [Patzner, Robert A. {a}; Hastings, Philip A; Springer, Victor G; Wirtz, Peter; Goncalves, Emanuel J.In Patzner, Robert A.; Goncalves, Emanuel J.; Hastings, Philip A.; Kapoor, B.G. [Eds]. The biology of blennies. Science Publishers, Enfield, Jersey & Plymouth. 2009: i-xi, 1-482. Chapter pagination: 443-473, Patzner, Robert A. {a}; Hastings, Philip A; Springer, Victor G; Wirtz, Peter; Goncalves, Emanuel J,  443-473. 2009.]
  4. 1 2 Gibson, R 2010 "The Biology of Blennies" ‐ Edited by R. A. Patzner, E. J. Gonçalves, P. A. Hastings and B. G. Kapoor. Journal of Fish Biology, 76(7), 1871–1872
  5. 1 2 3 Castro, Peter (Ph.D.), Huber, Michael (Ph.D.), Rotjan, Randi (Professor) (2019) Marine Biology: Biology 260, Boston University, USA: McGraw-Hill Education (Mcgraw-create)]
  6. ↑ [Pazmandi, C. (2000) Blenniid phylogeny and the evolution of the fin hook characters (Order No. 9973753). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (304646100)].
  7. 1 2 Lin, H., & Hastings, P. (2011). "{Evolution of a Neotropical marine fish lineage (Subfamily Chaenopsinae, Suborder Blennioidei) based on phylogenetic analysis of combined molecular and morphological data". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 60(2), 236-248. Link text]
  8. ↑ "Ctenoid scale | anatomy | Britannica".
  9. 1 2 3 Oliveira, Rui F.; Canario, Adelino V.; Grobert, Matthew S. (March 1, 2001). "Male Sexual Polymorphism, Alternative Reproductive Tactics, and Androgens in Combtooth Blennies". Hormones and Behavior. 40 (2): 266–275. doi:10.1006/hbeh.2001.1683. hdl:10400.12/2422. PMID   11534991. S2CID   15705607.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Stoner, A.W.; Livingston, R.J. (1980). "Distributional ecology and food habits of the banded blenny Paraclinus fasciatus (Clinidae): a resident in a mobile habitat". Marine Biology. 56 (3): 239–246. doi:10.1007/BF00645348. S2CID   83551280.
  11. ↑ Zander, C.D. (1975). "Secondary Sex Characteristics of Blennoid": 717–727.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)


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