Species: Malacoctenus erdmani, Imitator Blenny

Malacoctenus erdmani Smith, 1957

Imitator Blenny

Head slender, snout pointed; usually 2 cirri over nostril and over eye, a pair of heavily branched cirri on each side of nape; upper part of rear end of top jaw covered by bone under eye; small teeth present 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, usually XIX, 10-12; pectoral rays usually 16; 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; 40-69 lateral line scales; no scales on pectoral fin base; lateral line tubes or canals at least on front of body; smooth scales on rear of body.

Greenish grey, with irregular dark barring on body, that intensify as dark saddles along upper back; belly and lower tail base may have a series of ~10 dark to blackish bars, some joining the upper-body saddles; a black-ringed green ocellus on upper back immediately under but not extending onto last dorsal fin spines; fins without spots.

Reaches 3.8 cm.

Found mainly in rocky areas, sometimes with seagrass.

Depth range: 0-11 m.

The Bahamas to the S Caribbean.