The blue-eyed triplefin (''Notoclinops segmentatus'') is a fish in the genus ''

Notoclinops ''Notoclinops'' is the name of a genus of Threefin blenny, triplefins in the family (biology), family Tripterygiidae from New Zealand. Etymology The genus, generic name ''Notoclinops'' refers to the superficial resemblance of the species in ''No ...

'', commonly found around the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

from depths of a metre to about 30 m, most common in

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock out ...

areas of broken rock. Its length is between 3 and 6 cm and it is easily distinguished from other small fish by its iridescent blue eyes which give its name. There are nine red vertical bars running right round the body, and an orange tinge to the back and head. In the breeding season in winter the orange on the males becomes brighter on the head, tail, and anal fin. The rest of the body becomes blue/black. Males set up nests in small depressions on vertical rock faces at depths of about 10 to 20 m where females are encouraged to lay their eggs. The nest is then guarded. The blue-eyed triplefin's diet includes small

crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group ...

s (including

amphipod Amphipoda is an order of malacostracan crustaceans with no carapace and generally with laterally compressed bodies. Amphipods range in size from and are mostly detritivores or scavengers. There are more than 9,900 amphipod species so far descr ...

s and

copepod Copepods (; meaning "oar-feet") are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat (ecology), habitat. Some species are planktonic (inhabiting sea waters), some are benthos, benthic (living on the ocean floor) ...

s), and has been known to remove

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

s from larger fish. This fish count (at 2017) is 58.

References

* * Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, ''Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand'', (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982)

External links

* Blue-eyed triplefin discussed on

RNZ Radio New Zealand ( mi, Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa), commonly known as Radio NZ or simply RNZ, is a New Zealand public-service radio broadcaster and Crown entity that was established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. It operates news and cu ...

'' Critter of the Week''
2 Sep 2022
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2297146 Blue-eyed triplefin Endemic marine fish of New Zealand Fish described in 1987