Montagu's blenny (''Coryphoblennius galerita''), also known as the capuchin blenny, is a species of combtooth blenny found in the

intertidal zone The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species o ...

s of the eastern

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

ocean from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

and the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

as well the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

, the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...

and the Sea of Marmara. This species prefers rocky shores with much wave action. This species grows to a length of SL. It is the only species in the genus ''Coryphoblennius''.

Description

Montagu's blenny is small and has an elongated body which has no scales, its eyes are set on top of the head and its mouth points downwards. It attains a

Total Length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish ...

of . The background colour is pale brown marked with olive-green vertical stripes and light blue spots. There is a single

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through conv ...

that runs along the total length of its body with an obvious notch part of the way along. There is fringed, fleshy crest situated between its eyes and, in at least in Britain and Ireland, this feature distinguishes Montagu's blenny from the other species present. The fleshy crest continues along the dorsal surface of the blenny as a series of short fleshy tentacles. It has large pectoral fins which are used to grip on to rock surfaces and resemble limbs. The fish in the Atlantic specimens often have dark-spots compared to Mediterranean populations. When spawning the males become uniformly dark or show a marbled pattern and have a white upper lip.

Distribution

Montagu's blenny occurs in the north eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean. Its range in the Atlantic extends from southern Ireland and the southern coasts of Great Britain south to Portugal and along the west African coats as far as Guinea, It also occurs in the Macaronesian archipelagoes of

, the

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

and the

. It is found on all Mediterranean coastlines and into the Sea of Marmara, and the western

, it has been recorded from Black Sea coast of central Turkey and it may occur in the eastern Black Sea but this is unconfirmed.

Habitat and ecology

Montagu's blenny is found around the mid-tide level of the intertidal zone in rocky coasts, often on steep rocky surfaces up to the surf zone. It shows a preference for rock pools which are not heavily vegetated with leafy seaweeds, being more frequently recorded in pools dominated by

coralline algae Coralline algae are red algae in the order Corallinales. They are characterized by a thallus that is hard because of calcareous deposits contained within the cell walls. The colors of these algae are most typically pink, or some other shade of re ...

. This species will stay out of the water at low tide sheltering under rocks and seaweeds, being capable of breathing air. The juveniles are frequently recorded from tidal pools and sometimes shelter in the empty shells of barnacles. This species is omnivorous and the main food of Montagu's blennies are small invertebrates, including

acorn barnacle Acorn barnacle and acorn shell are Common name, vernacular names for certain types of stalkless barnacles, generally excluding goose barnacles, stalked or gooseneck barnacles. As adults they are typically cone-shaped, symmetrical, and attached to r ...

s, although algae are an important component of the adult blennies' diet. The algae being scraped off rock substrates. It is mainly active by day, especially at high tide, and at night it may sleep up to above the water's surface. Breeding takes place in the summer in shallow, sometimes intertidal water, from May to August. The male's courtship display consists of rocking his head from side to side. The eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate via an adhesive filament. The males guard territories which include depressions, crevices or the holes created by piddocks. The males guard egg masses laid by several different females, frequently releasing sperm during periodic quivers to fertilise eggs in the nest in a similar manner to other blennies and they fan the eggs as if aerating and cleaning them. The larvae are planktonic and are often recorded in shallow, coastal waters.

Etymology

The generic name is derived from Greek and is a compound noun consisting of the word ''Koryfó'' rendered as ''Corypho'' meaning "top" and ''blennius'', which means "blenny" and is derived from a Greek word for "mucus", referring to its scaleless body. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

, ''galerita'' means "a cape" or "a hood" and refers to the crest between the eyes. The

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

, Montagu's blenny, honours the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

naturalist George Montagu (1753–1815).

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2069147, from2=Q14409927 Montagu's blenny Fish of Europe Marine fauna of North Africa Fish of the East Atlantic Fish of the Mediterranean Sea Fish of the Black Sea Montagu's blenny Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus