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Species: Gobioclinus gobio, Goggle-eye Blenny, Palehead Blenny

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

D XIX, I < IV & V
body bars not onto D, 2nd bar wide above
C base: thin dark bar
no opercular ocellus
gut lining white

Gobioclinus gobio (Valenciennes in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1836)

Palehead Blenny, Goggle-eye Blenny

Body robust; head broad, snout blunt; eye large; a branched cirrus over each eye, 2 or more heavily branched cirri on each side of nape; mouth large, slightly oblique, rear of top jawbone exposed, not in a sheath; large fish with >2 pores at tip of chin; patches of small teeth behind outer row of large teeth on upper jaw; teeth present on sides of roof of mouth, some of those are distinctly larger than teeth at front of roof of mouth; notch between spines and rays of dorsal fin, XIX (XVIII-XX), 10-12, length of 1st spine a little shorter than spines IV-V, but longer than 2nd last spine; anal fin II, usually 19; pelvic fins with 1 internal spine, 3 soft rays, length of 3rd ray >½ length of longest ray, inserted before pectoral base; all fin rays unbranched; pectoral rays usually 13; 48-53 lateral line scales; lateral line tubes or canals at least on front of body; smooth scales on rear of body.

Head pale grey-brown; body greenish above, reddish below, with 4-5 brownish bars and pale interspaces; those bars not extending onto dorsal and anal fins, second bar wide at top; base of caudal fin with a narrow dark bar; vertical fins with reddish spotting in females, colorless in males; no ocellus on operculum; lining of the stomach cavity white, with scattered dark dots; small fish pale, their dorsal and anal fins with very faint markings.

Reaches 6.4 cm.

Lives in a variety of mixed habitats containing rubble, sand, seagrass, coral formations and rocky ledges and eroded limestone slopes.

Depth range: 0-15 m.

Florida to Brazil.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Rocks
  • Sand & gravel
  • Sea anemones
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Submerged vegetation
  • Corals
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef and soft bottom
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Bony fishes
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
  • Mobile benthic worms
  • Sea-stars/cucumbers/urchins
Egg Type
  • Benthic
  • Data
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Also in Brazil
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Extends South of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • Island (s)
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 6.4
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 15