Species: Nemaclinus atelestos, Threadfin blenny
Nemaclinus atelestos Bohlke & Springer, 1975
Threadfin blenny
Elongate, compressed; front nostril tubular, without cirrus; eye with a long, flattened, simple cirrus; nape with 1 pair of short simple cirri; top edge of top jaw tucked into a fold of skin when mouth is closed; front of roof of mouth with 4-7 large teeth, sides without any; upper jaws with 2 rows of teeth, lower jaws with 1 row; dorsal fin XXI-XXIII, 7-9, no notch between spines and rays; anal fin II, 18-19; pectoral 12, rays 8-9 (counted from above) elongate in both sexes; pelvic fins with with I (internal), 3, inner ray vestigial, other rays long, reaching to the center of the anal fin base, inserted before pectoral base; all fin rays unbranched; lateral line incomplete, well developed at front only, front arched part with 8-10 scales with tubes, rear straight part with an occasional pored scale; body completely scaled, smooth scales, head without scales.
Male: upper head and body reddish brown, with about 6 darker saddes on back, and about 5 dark blotches along mid flank; lower head yellowish, a prominent white, red-edged bar angled down and back from eye; eye cirri with red and white bars; dorsal fin reddish, spinous part with a yellow basal strip, a black spot on membrane between 1st two spines and a yellow outer edge over first several spines; anal fin blackish, with a white outer edge. Female: head and body red-brown, a series of 6 darker saddles, each followed by a white spot, along upper back, about 6 dark blotches along mid-side; several pale bars under eye angled forwards and backwards; dorsal and anal fins mottled with red marks; a red spot at the front of the dorsal fin; pelvics with 2 reddish bars.
Reaches 3.8 cm.
Habitat: caught in dredges and trawls so lives on soft bottoms, sometimes adjacent to reef structures.
Depth range: 27-256 m.
Bermuda to the SW Caribbean.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Mud
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Soft bottom only
- Sand & gravel
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Mobile benthic worms
- Data
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Benthic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- West Atlantic Endemic
- All species.
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Insular primarily
- Continent + Island (s)
- GC endemic
- Continent
- All species..
- Island (s)
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 3.8
- Depth Range Min
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- 27
- Depth Range Max
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- 256
