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Species: Hypleurochilus pseudoaequipinnis, Atlantic oyster blenny

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

eye cirrus: tall stalk + basal branches
upper body: groups of 4 spots -> 6 dark blotches
D black spot at front
no orange spots on head
5 pores each side lower jaw
pelvic I, 4

Hypleurochilus pseudoaequipinnis Bath, 1994

Atlantic oyster blenny

Head large, blunt; body elongate, compressed; nostril with a simple cirrus; a single cirrus with 4-15 branches over eye; mouth opens at front, top margin of top lip free, that margin discontinuous at front; teeth like incisors, with a large curved canine at rear of each jaw; lower jaw with 5 pores on each side; gill membranes broadly fused on throat, gill opening ends at level of lower base of pectoral fin; dorsal fin with a deep notch between spiny and soft parts, spiny part distinctly lower than soft part, XI-XII, 13-14; pelvics I, 4; pectorals 14 rays; anal fin II, 14-15; fin rays unbranched, except on tail fin; lateral line in 2 parts, 1st curved down behind end of pectoral, ends under last dorsal spines, 2nd from mid-flank to above ~middle of anal fin; no scales.

Males greenish grey with small orange spots on upper body; female with 5-6 square blotches on upper side, each composed of 4 dark spots overlain by orange dots; both sexes without orange dots on head; a dark spot at front of dorsal fin; a dark spot on the base of the pectoral; a dark spot at the base of the tail fin; a row of dark spots along the anal base.

Size: reaches 7.5 cm.

Habitat: mangroves and shallow rock outcrops; in turbid water and enters freshwater.

Depth: 0-24 m.

The Gulf of Mexico to Brazil.


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Salinity
  • Brackish
  • Freshwater
  • Marine
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore Only
  • Inshore
Water Column Position
  • Bottom only
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Reef and soft bottom
  • Rocks
  • Estuary
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Mangrove
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
  • Freshwater
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Data
  • Omnivore
Diet
  • Data
  • Benthic microalgae
  • Detritus
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Benthic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species.
  • West Atlantic Endemic
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
Regional Endemism
  • All species..
  • Continent
  • Island (s)
  • Extends South of GC
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • GC non-endemic
  • Also in Brazil
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 7.5
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 24