The Pacific leaping blenny (''Alticus arnoldorum''), also known as the leaping rockskipper, is a species of combtooth blenny (family Blenniidae) in the genus '' Alticus''. The blennies 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 form distinct pairs when mating. Males can reach a maximum total length of 8 centimetres (3.15 inches). These fish feed primarily on

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...

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 ...

, which they consume by scraping off rocky surfaces.

Description

Male Pacific leaping blennies have prominent head crests and orange-red dorsal fins.

Distribution and habitat

The Pacific leaping blenny is a tropical blenny found in reefs in Samoa and the

Marianas The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...

, Society, and Cook Islands, in the western and southern Pacific Ocean.''Alticus arnoldorum''
at www.fishbase.org. The blennies are noted for leaping from hole to hole in the limestone rocks they inhabit, when disturbed; each of the common names for the species is derived from this. They are able to dwell on land for several hours at a time, and have been reported performing many activities, including foraging and mating while out of the water. However, they are only able to survive on land during midtide; if they remain out of water when the tide lowers enough that they cannot be kept moist, they dry out and suffocate.Pictures: "Walking" Fish a Model of Evolution in Action.
Christine Dell'Amore, September 1st, 2011. ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

News.'' In a study performed by Tonia Hsieh of Temple University, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it was discovered that members of ''A. arnoldorum'' are able to thrive on land due to their ability to twist their tails axially at 90 degrees, to propel their bodies. Hsieh noted that the twisting of the tail was a behaviourism unique to ''A. arnoldorum'' and species in the genus ''

Andamia ''Andamia'' is a genus of combtooth blennies found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Species There are currently seven recognized species in this genus: * '' Andamia amphibius'' (Walbaum Walbaum is a German surname. Notable people with the surn ...

''; the two genera were subsequently considered terrestrial."Pacific leaping blenny now considered a terrestrial species"
www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

Name

The identity of the person commemorated in 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 ...

of this blenny is unclear. The author, Curtiss, is known to have read ''The Sea-Beach at Ebb-Tide: A Guide to the Study of the Seaweeds and the Lower Animal Life Found Between Tidemarks'' by

Augusta Foote Arnold Augusta Newton Foote Arnold (October 24, 1844 – May 9, 1904) was an American author and naturalist who published three books – two cookery books under the pen name of Mary Ronald, and ''The Sea-Beach at Ebb-Tide'', regarded as a seminal work ...

(1844-1903) and gave several taxa a similar epithet.

References

External links

* *
A Highly Social, Land-Dwelling Fish Defends Territories in a Constantly Fluctuating Environment
by Terry J. Ord in E&ERC {{Taxonbar, from=Q1758732 Alticus Fish described in 1938 Amphibious fish Fish of the Pacific Ocean Articles containing video clips