Species: Chaenopsis resh, Resh Pike-blenny

Chaenopsis resh Robins & Randall, 1965

Resh Pike-blenny

Body very elongate; head long; snout long & strongly pointed, from above bluntly V shaped; 2 pores above rear part of each eye, with a central pore between those; no cirri on head; long mouth, reaching far behind eye, tip of lower jaw projecting; 19-27 gill rakers; dorsal fin elevated at front, XVIII-XIX, 35-37; anal fin II, 36-37; dorsal and anal joined to tail fin; pectoral 13 (12-13); pelvics I (internal), 2-3, inserted before pectoral base; tail rounded; all fin rays unbranched; no lateral line; no scales.

Male: head and body pale grey-green, paler below; a dark “7” shaped mark behind eye; chin salmon-tipped; front of dorsal black, with an ocellus between spines II-III; rays of throat membranes black at front, bright blue at rear; a stripe formed of a series of dark blotches (some with vertical extensions) along mid-flank; 16 groups of dark spots in a chain-link pattern along upper body above flank stripe; upper head with diagonal dark streaks, top with dark spots, throat membranes black; soft dorsal with 3 rows of brownish orange spots and 2 rows of pale blue dots. Female: yellow grey; lower head and belly yellow; iris orange-brown; a dark inverted “7” mark behind eye; a dark stripe along midflank composed of a row of close-set spots, every 2nd spot with vertical extensions; with rows of spots along entire soft dorsal, those forming diagonal bars on spiny dorsal.

Reaches 13 cm.

Lives in worm tubes in sandy bottoms, and around reefs.

Depth range: 1-10 m.

S Caribbean.