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Species: Starksia culebrae, Culebra blenny

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broad straight pale stripe: eye to opercle
top row spots onto D, + red dots
pectoral base: 2 red dots
lips: dark bars

Starksia culebrae (Evermann & Marsh, 1899)

Culebra blenny

Body elongate, compressed; bluntly pointed head; eye, nostril and nape cirri unbranched; dorsal fin XXI (XX-XXII), 8 (7-9), a notch between spines and rays; 1st anal spine of male long, free from rest of fin, modified as sexual organ, no ridge or fold along anal fin base; fin II, 17-19; pectorals usually 14; pelvic fins I (internal), 2, inserted before pectoral base; all fin rays unbranched; lateral line  continuous, front section arched, rear section straight, 17 (16-19) + 21 (20-22) scales; belly naked; smooth scales on rear of body.

Head with a broad unbranched pale area from eye onto operculum; lips with black bars, a meshwork of small blackish blotches on body, those at top of body form a row of ~6 very dark blotches, each containing 2 red spots, that extend onto the dorsal fin; no dark bar on pectoral base, but two reddish, dark ringed spots.

Reaches 3.7 cm.

Lives on lagoonal reefs.

Depth range: 0-10 m.

E to SE Caribbean.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore Only
  • Inshore
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
  • Reef only
  • Rocks
  • Corals
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Mobile benthic worms
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Sessile worms
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Live birth
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species.
  • West Atlantic Endemic
  • Greater Caribbean endemic
Regional Endemism
  • GC endemic
  • Island (s) only
  • All species..
  • Island (s)
  • Antilles endemic
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Listed
  • Least concern
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 3.7
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 10