Species: Malacoctenus aurolineatus, Goldline blenny

Malacoctenus aurolineatus Smith, 1957

Goldline blenny

Head slender, snout pointed; a simple cirrus over each nostril, 9-13 cirri on each side of nape, a forked cirrus over each eye; upper part of rear end of top jaw covered by bone under eye; no small teeth behind outer row of large teeth on upper jaws; no teeth on sides of roof of mouth; notch between spines and rays of dorsal fin, XIX (XVIII-XXI), 10-12, last ray not connected to base of tail fin by membrane; pectoral rays usually 14; pelvic fins with I (internal), 3, last ray difficult to see, its length >1/4 length of longest ray, inserted before pectoral base; all fin rays unbranched; 42-55 lateral line scales; no scales on breast or pectoral fin base; no central scale on nape before dorsal fin; lateral line tubes or canals at least on front of body; smooth scales on rear of body.

Head brown above, whitish below; rear body often yellowish; body with 3 close-set thick dark bars under spiny dorsal (the last two fusing on the midline to form an H), then a wide whitish bar behind that then 3-4 indistinct brown bars; thin gold stripes along lower body.

Reaches 7.5 cm.

Lives in shallow, coral habitats; associates with rock-boring sea urchins along rocky shorelines.

Depth range: 0-4.5 m, usually < 2 m.

The Bahamas to the S Caribbean.