Species: Acanthemblemaria aspera, Roughhead blenny
cirri: eye - heavily branched, nasal - 2-3 tips
D XX-XXII, I with flap
Acanthemblemaria aspera (Longley, 1927)
Roughhead blenny
Body elongate; short blunt head; small pointed spines on snout, extending back on forehead to less than half way to dorsal fin, 2 clusters of 3-5 spines behind eyes, spines without papillae; 1 pair of strongly and complexly branched cirri over eyes; nasal cirrus with 2-3 tips; multiple rows of well-developed teeth on side of roof of mouth; dorsal fin XX-XXII (1st spine with a flap), 14-17, a notch between spiny and soft parts; anal fin II, 22-25; pelvics I (internal), 2-3, inserted before pectoral base; all fin rays unbranched; no lateral line; no scales.
Colors changeable: males colorless to dark, with many small dark dots on rear of head and front body, front of dorsal whitish, with an ocellus between spines III-IV; females usually yellowish with 3 broken lines under chin and throat; dark spots on operculum and pectoral base, 12-14 along base of dorsal fin, 10 along base of anal.
Reaches 4 cm.
Lives in holes on coral patch reefs.
Depth range: 1-26 m, usually < 9 m.
The Bahamas to the S 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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- Corals
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Reef only
- Barnacles & worm tubes
- Rocks
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Planktivore
- Diet
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- Zooplankton
- Mobile benthic worms
- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
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- Benthic
- Pelagic larva
- Data
- Global Endemism
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- All species.
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- GC endemic
- Continent
- All species..
- Island (s)
- Continent + Island (s)
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 4
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 26
