Species: Acanthemblemaria spinosa, Spinyhead blenny
rear edge eye serrated
eye cirrus weakly branched
Acanthemblemaria spinosa Metzelaar, 1919
Spinyhead blenny
Body elongate; short blunt head; short, pointed, forward pointing spines on snout and back almost to dorsal fin; lower edge of eye socket spiny, rear edge serrated; cirri on nostrils, over eyes (1 pair, weakly branched), but not on nape; multiple rows of well-developed teeth on side of roof of mouth; dorsal fin XX-XXII, 13-16, a notch between spiny and soft parts; pelvics I (internal), 2-3, inserted before pectoral base; all fin rays unbranched; no lateral line; no scales.
Variable; front of head greenish brown, rear dark brown with small white spots; iris yellow; a brownish blotch (bordered with a white oblique bar) behind eye; males may be nearly uniformly dark, snout and forehead white, to spotted with 8-12 small brown blotches along dorsal and anal fin bases and along mid-side.
Reaches 3.5 cm.
Lives in coral patches, often in worm tubes.
Depth range: 1-30 m.
The Bahamas to the S Caribbean.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Habitat
-
- Rocks
- Corals
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Reef only
- Barnacles & worm tubes
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
-
- Carnivore
- Data
- Planktivore
- Diet
-
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Zooplankton
- Mobile benthic worms
- Data
- Egg Type
-
- Data
- Benthic
- Pelagic larva
- 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
-
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- IUCN Red List
-
- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Depth Range Min
-
- 1
- Depth Range Max
-
- 30
- Length Max
-
- 3.5
