Species: Starksia hassi, Ringed Blenny

Starksia hassi Klausewitz, 1958

Ringed Blenny

Body elongate, compressed; bluntly pointed head; eye, nostril and nape cirri unbranched, nasal cirri long; dorsal fin XIX ( XIX-XXI), 8-9, 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; pectorals usually 13-14; pelvic fins I (internal), 3, all obvious, innermost ~1/4 length of second, inserted before pectoral base; all fin rays unbranched; lateral line continuous, front section arched, rear section straight, 15 (14-16) + 22-25 scales; belly and pectoral base naked; smooth scales on rear of body.

Body pale red brown to pale purplish brown; 2 small dark spots under eye, a pale or white blotch behind lower corner of eye; small dark spots or an irregular thin dark line along lower edge of operculum; cheek tends to be darker than rest of head, and there may be a dark blotch at lower corner of preoperculum that may extend onto operculum itself; body with indistinct dark bars, with narrower pale interspaces that form pale rings; unpaired fins with rows of red spots; dorsal fin with a pair of strong red spots on base of fin above each body bar, and a white bar between those, above each pale body bar, sometimes extending down into that pale bar; a small dark bar across lower corner of base of pectoral fin, sometimes 2 dark spots on base of fin rays.

Reaches 4 cm.

Lives in areas of rich coral development, often in tube sponges.

Depth range: 1-20 m.

The Bahamas to the S Caribbean.