Species: Protemblemaria punctata, Chameleon Blenny
nape - pair fleshy ridges
male D: red + front ocellus
female: raised front D dark blotch

Protemblemaria punctata Cervigón, 1966
Chameleon Blenny
Body elongate; head rounded, blunt, its top not spiny; 2 bushy, branched cirri over each eye, in female the front cirrus is better developed, none on nape; nape with 2 fleshy ridges (sometimes absent in females; 1 row of teeth on each side of roof of mouth; dorsal fin XIX-XXI, 15-16, front part of fin slightly elevated in females, a flap along the front of the 1st spine in both sexes; no notch between spiny and soft parts; anal fin II, 21-24; pectoral fin 14 (13-15); pelvics I (internal), 2-3, inserted before pectoral base; all fin rays unbranched; no lateral line; no scales.
Male - head and front body black to greenish, upper back with a row of large dark brown blotches; rear body with many small orange spots; iris red, a pale bar angled back and down from eye across the dark preoperculum & operculum; sexually active fish orange-red fading to yellow with orange spots on rear body; throat and chest bright red; dark, eye-sized spots along base of dorsal fin; dorsal fin reddish, with a green/orange ringed ocellus at the upper front; front half of anal fin reddish, rear half anal yellow; tail fin yellow. Female & juvenile - brown to whitish; a white bar angled down and back from eye; dark bars on upper front body become narrower at rear of body, sometimes dark dots on body; head tan, top lips and snout with orange spots; a dark blotch on raised front part of dorsal fin; rest of fins with tan blotches.
Reaches 5.1 cm.
Lives in empty mollusk shells, on reefs and in mangroves.
Depth range: 2-20 m.
SE Caribbean.
Note: Introduced to the Gulf of Mexico, where it now has populations at Tampa and Veracruz.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Brackish
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Reef only
- Rocks
- Estuary
- Mangrove
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Planktivore
- Diet
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- Data
- Zooplankton
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Mobile benthic worms
- Egg Type
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- Benthic
- Data
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Caribbean endemic
- Continent
- Continent only
- GC endemic
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 5.1
- Depth Range Min
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- 2
- Depth Range Max
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- 20