Species: Emblemariopsis tayrona, Highfin Red Banner Blenny, Tayrona Blenny

Emblemariopsis tayrona (Acero, 1987)

Tayrona Blenny, Highfin Red Banner Blenny

Body elongate; head short and blunt, without spines; snout with a pair of smooth bony ridges; nasal cirrus short, simple, ~3/4 length of eye cirrus; 1 short (1/2 eye length) cirrus over eye; 1 row of teeth on each side of roof of mouth; dorsal fin XIX-XXI, 11-13, 1st 3 spines elongate, fin with concave front edge when partly erected; anal fin II, 18-22; pectoral rays 13; pelvics I (internal), 3, inserted before pectoral base, much shorter than pectorals; all fin rays unbranched; no lateral line; no scales.

Territorial male: black head; front of dorsal fin with white base, black center, outer red band bordered above and below with white, center of spiny dorsal pale red with black spots; with less black color lower head and operculum with series of black and white bars. Female: long front dorsal spines with white and black bars and red tip; lower head with dark spots, dorsal and anal fin with dark rays and white spots; both sexes: dark oblique lines on cheek, pectoral base with oblique dark bar;

Reaches 3.6 cm.

Lives with dead barnacles, and on firecoral and massive corals.

Depth range: 0-20 m.

Two disjunct populations: Colombia and northeastern Venezuela.