The pearl blenny (''Entomacrodus nigricans'') is a species of

combtooth blenny 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 tropic ...

from the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Salarinae 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 freshw ...

of 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. It occurs in shallow coastal waters in the western Atlantic Ocean. It is the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Entomacrodus ''Entomacrodus'' is a genus of combtooth blennies. Species There are currently 27 recognized species in this genus: * '' Entomacrodus cadenati'' V. G. Springer, 1967 (West African rockhopper) * '' Entomacrodus caudofasciatus'' (Regan, 1909) (T ...

''.

Description

Pearl blennies are pale in colour marked with dark brown bands and have extremely bright white spots along the length of theor whole bodies. They have a blunt head and a high forehead with two moderately-sized eyes. They have filaments over the eyes and on the nape which are called cirri. When breeding the male's cirri and

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 ...

s become enlarged. They have slender, sharp teeth, resembling combs, in their jaws. There are 13 spines and 14-15 soft rays in the dorsal fin while the

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

has 2 spines and 16 rays. This species may attain 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 flattened eyes are thought to be an adaptation for seeing in air.

Distribution

The pearl blenny is found in the western central Atlantic where its distributions stretches from

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

to southeastern

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, west to the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

where it ranges from the

Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...

Campeche Campeche (; yua, Kaampech ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Campeche ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Campeche), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in southeast Mexico, it is bordered by ...

, Mexico, and south through the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

Habitat and ecology

The pearl blenny prefers shallow waters and they are normally recorded close to the surface, as well as in tidal pools or rocks pools. The smaller individuals stay lower down in the water column so that they can avoid harsher conditions. They are largely diurnal feeders, mainly feeding on

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

. They can survive on land but prefer to remain in water. Their flattish eye gives then a vision something like that of a bird. They are able to survive out of water in shade for around 2.5 hours which extends to 3.5 hours during the night but only 7 minutes in direct sunlight. The males choose small crevices or empty shells which they clean out and the female will spawn into these. The eggs have an adhesive pad with which they stick to the internal surface of the nest. The males guard the eggs and often fan them until they have hatched.

References

{{Taxonbar, From=Q3759128 Pearl blenny Fish described in 1859