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.
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.
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.
Anthias are members of the family Serranidae and make up the subfamily Anthiinae. The name Anthiidae is preoccupied by a subfamily of ground beetles in the family Carabidae created by Bonelli in 1813 and this grouping should be called the Anthiadinae. However, both the 5th Edition of Fishes of the World and Fishbase give the Serranid subfamily as "Anthiinae".
The queen angelfish, also known as the blue angelfish, golden angelfish, or yellow angelfish, is a species of marine angelfish found in the western Atlantic Ocean. It is a benthic warm-water species that lives in coral reefs. It is recognized by its blue and yellow coloration and a distinctive spot or "crown" on its forehead. This crown distinguishes it from the closely related and similar-looking Bermuda blue angelfish, with which it overlaps in range and can interbreed.
Ophioblennius atlanticus, also known as the redlip blenny and the horseface blenny, is a species of combtooth blenny, family Blenniidae, found primarily in the western central Atlantic ocean. Redlip blennies can be found in coral crests and shallow fringing reefs. They are highly territorial and attack intruders with two long, sharp canine teeth. The adults are found at depths of 10 to 20 meters, and the eggs are benthic. The adults may reach up to four inches in length when fully grown, and they have large reddish lips, from which they attained their names. Redlip blennies largely feed on algae.
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.
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".
Parablennius is a diverse genus of combtooth blennies found in the Atlantic, western Pacific, and Indian Ocean.
Parablennius dialloi is a species of combtooth blenny found in the Eastern and Central Atlantic: Cape Verde to Moçâmedes, Angola. The specific name honours the Senegales curator Amadou Diallo of the Musée de la Mer in Gorée Senegal, who provided specimens to Hans Bath and translated for him while he was working in Senegal.
The rock-pool blenny is a species of combtooth blenny found in the eastern central Atlantic Ocean. This species reaches a length of 12 centimetres (4.7 in) SL.
The ringneck blenny is a species of combtooth blenny widespread in coastal waters of Eastern Atlantic from Spain and Portugal to Möwe Bay, Namibia, in the Mediterranean Sea from Morocco, Algeria, Spain. In the Southwest Atlantic it is found near Brazil and Patagonia, Argentina. Also in Western Indian Ocean from Natal to Knysna in South Africa. This species reaches a length of 12.7 centimetres (5.0 in) SL. It is the type species of the genus Parablennius
The longstriped blenny is a species of combtooth blenny found in the northeast Atlantic off Portugal, also known from the northern Mediterranean. This species reaches a length of 8 centimetres (3.1 in) TL. The identity of the person honoured by the specific name of this species was not specified but is thought to be the French painter and naturalist Jean Louis Florent Polydore Roux (1792-1833).
Petroscirtes springeri is a species of combtooth blenny found in coral reefs in the northwest Pacific ocean. This species reaches a length of 7.7 centimetres (3.0 in) SL. The specific name honours the American ichthyologist Victor G. Springer of the United States National Museum, it was Springer who first introduced the author to the blenniids and who suggested the study in which Smith-Vaniz described this species.
Scartella is a genus of combtooth blennies found in the Atlantic and Indian oceans.
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 collettei, known commonly as the Collete's blenny in Papua New Guinea, is a species of combtooth blenny in the genus Ecsenius. It is found in coral reefs in the western central Pacific ocean, specifically in Papua New Guinea. It can reach a maximum length of 5 centimetres. The blennies feed primarily off of plants, and benthic algae and weeds. he specific name honours Bruce B. Collette the Director of the National Marine Fisheries Service Systematics Laboratory, whose collection of fish specimens from New Guinea contained a number important blenniid specimens, one of which was this species.
Stanulus talboti, Talbot's blenny, is a species of combtooth blenny found in coral reefs in the western Pacific Ocean. This species feeds primarily on plants, including benthic algae and weeds. This species can reach 4.8 cm (1.9 in) in TL. This fish is also found in the aquarium trade.
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.
Salarinae is one of two subfamilies in the combtooth blenny family Blenniidae, it is the largest of the two subfamilies in the Blennidae with 43 genera. The species in this subfamily are mainly marine, with a few species which are found in freshwater or brackish water, and a few species are known to spend much time out of the water.
