''Ecsenius axelrodi'', known commonly as the Axelrod's clown blenny or the Axelrod's combtooth blenny, is a species of

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or hor ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Blenniidae, the combtooth blennies. It is found in shallow water on

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Co ...

s in the western central

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. It was first described by

Victor Gruschka Springer Victor Gruschka Springer (born in Jacksonville, Florida on 2 June 1928) is Senior Scientist emeritus, Division of Fishes at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. He is a specialist in the anatomy, ...

in 1988 and named in honour of the American

ichthyologist Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish ( Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of Octobe ...

Herbert Richard Axelrod.

Description

''Ecsenius axelrodi'' is a small species growing to a maximum length of . The dorsal fin has 12 spines and 12 to 14 soft rays. It is deeply notched between the two portions of fin. The anal fin has 2 spines and 14 to 16 soft rays. This combtooth blenny is variable in colour but usually has broad orange bands running along the body and transverse black bars on the rear half of the body. It occasionally has black longitudinal stripes. The eyes are prominent and have a black line running through them. This fish can be distinguished from other similar species by the obliquely-sloping, oblong black spot just above the insertion of the pectoral fin, and the four of five round black spots just below the spinous dorsal fin.

Distribution and habitat

''Ecsenius axelrodi'' is native to the western central Pacific Ocean. Its range includes the Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. It occurs on coral reefs on outer reef crests and slopes at depths of down to . Both adults and juveniles are restricted to subtidal areas with live corals.

Biology

The breeding habits and early life history of ''Ecsenius axelrodi'' has been little studied. The females are

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

and there is a planktonic larval stage but the smallest identifiable juveniles found are over long and look like miniature adults.

References

Bibliography

* Fenner, Robert M.: ''The Conscientious Marine Aquarist''. Neptune City,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

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: T.F.H. Publications, 2001. * Helfman, G., B. Collette y D. Facey: ''The diversity of fishes''. Blackwell Science, Malden, Massachusetts,

, 1997. * Hoese, D.F. 1986:. A M.M. Smith y P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlín, Alemania. * Moyle, P. y J. Cech.: ''Fishes: An Introduction to Ichthyology'', 4a. edición, Upper Saddle River,

: Prentice-Hall. Año 2000. * Nelson, J.: ''Fishes of the World'', 3a. edición.

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

: John Wiley and Sons. Año 1994. * Wheeler, A.: ''The World Encyclopedia of Fishes'', 2a. edición,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

: Macdonald. Año 1985. {{Taxonbar, from=Q2170119 axelrodi Fish described in 1988 Taxa named by Victor G. Springer