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Species: Acanthemblemaria maria, Secretary blenny

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long spines - snout to rear nape
rear eye rim serrated
eye cirrus weakly branched
dark brown: white stripe: cheek to pectoral
body: 2 rows white blotches
D XXI-XXIII

Acanthemblemaria maria Bohlke, 1961

Secretary blenny

Body elongate; short blunt head; 2 rows of long pointed spines on snout, extending back to behind eye and on nape almost to dorsal fin origin; inner rim of bones under and behind eye serrated; a deep groove from behind eye onto snout; multiple rows of well-developed teeth on side of roof of mouth; 1 pair of weakly branched cirri over eyes; nostrils with cirri; dorsal fin XXI-XXIII, 12-13, a notch between spiny and soft parts; anal fin II, 22-26; pelvics I (internal), 2-3, inserted before pectoral base; all fin rays unbranched; no lateral line; no scales.

Head and body dark brown to blackish; cheek with a broad white stripe that continues onto a large white blotch on the base of pectoral; a series of pale to whitish blotches along upper back, a series of larger white blotches along sides of belly and tail, those two rows separated by a broad dark stripe along the flank

Reaches 5.2 cm.

Lives in holes in limestone ledges and slopes.

Depth range: 0-9 m.

The Bahamas to the S Caribbean.


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Salinity
  • Marine Only
  • Marine
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore Only
  • Inshore
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Reef only
  • Barnacles & worm tubes
  • Rocks
  • Corals
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Planktivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Zooplankton
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic larva
  • Benthic
Global Endemism
  • All species.
  • West Atlantic Endemic
  • Greater Caribbean endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Island (s)
  • GC endemic
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • All species..
  • Continent
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 5.2
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 9