Species: Malacoctenus versicolor, Barfin Blenny

Malacoctenus versicolor (Poey, 1876)

Barfin Blenny

Head slender, snout pointed; usually 7 or more cirri over both nostrils, a pair of heavily branched nape cirri, a branched cirrus over 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, XVIII spines; 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; 40-69 lateral line scales; any scales on pectoral base are smaller than body scales; lateral line tubes or canals at least on front of body; smooth scales on rear of body.

Body whitish in female, reddish in male; a series of ~5 wide dark bars along rear of head and body, extending almost to the edge of the dorsal fin; the high front of the dorsal fin is dark; fins spotted in female but not male.

Reaches 7.8 cm.

Lives on rocky shores and areas of sand and rubble.

Depth range: 0-40 m.

Bahamas to the S Caribbean.