Species: Starksia sluiteri, Chessboard blenny, Spotted blenny
lower head & pectoral base: no conspicuous marks
Starksia sluiteri (Metzelaar, 1919)
Chessboard or Spotted blenny
Body elongate, compressed; bluntly pointed head; eye, nostril and nape cirri unbranched; dorsal fin XIX (XIX-XX), 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; anal fin II, 15 (15-17); pectorals usually 13; pelvic fins I (internal), 2, inserted before pectoral base; all fin rays unbranched; lateral line continuous, front section arched, rear section straight; belly naked; smooth scales on rear of body.
Head and body greenish-brown, lower head & pectoral base without pale spots or conspicuous marks; male with a large, dark blotch on upper rear corner of preoperculum and operculum; body of both sexes with 2-3 partly alternating rows of black to dark rounded blotches, central row of ~6 blotches, top row of ~8 blotches, 3rd row of ~ 5 blotches, top row extending onto dorsal fin base, with orange spots on base of fin above those blotches; body with dark scale edges; male with a dark blotch at front of dorsal fin immediately above one of the top row of dark body blotches.
Reaches 2.5 cm.
Lives on reefs in crevices on reef crests and forereefs.
Depth range: 1-40 m.
Islands of the southern Caribbean
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Marine Only
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Habitat
-
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef only
- Rocks
- Corals
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
-
- No Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
-
- Mobile benthic worms
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Sessile worms
- Egg Type
-
- Live birth
- Pelagic larva
- Data
- Global Endemism
-
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
-
- Island (s) only
- Island (s)
- GC endemic
- Antilles endemic
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
-
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- IUCN Red List
-
- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Depth Range Max
-
- 40
- Depth Range Min
-
- 1
- Length Max
-
- 2.5
