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Species: Hypleurochilus springeri, Orange-spotted blenny

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

head & front body: orange spots
eye cirrus short, few branches
white spots - edges preopercle, opercle, over pectoral
upper body: groups of spots form 4-5 bars
preoperculum pores single
pelvic I, 4

Hypleurochilus springeri Randall, 1966

Orange-spotted blenny

Head large, blunt, front profile steep and rounded; body elongate, compressed; nostril with a long flap bearing 2-6 cirri; a single flap with 2-11 cirri over eye; mouth opens at front ; top margin of top lip free, that margin discontinous at front; teeth like incisors, with a large curved canine at rear of each jaw; pores on preoperculum single (sometimes in doubles); gill membranes broadly fused on throat, gill opening ends at level of lower base of pectoral fin; dorsal fin with a distinct notch between spiny and soft parts XII (XI-XIII), 12-13; anal fin II, 14-16; pelvics I, 4; pectorals 14 rays; fin rays unbranched, except on tail fin; lateral line in 2 parts, 1st curved down behind end of pectoral, ends under last dorsal spines, 2nd from mid-flank to above ~middle of anal fin; no scales.

Green-grey; iris red with 8 spoke-like bars radiating from pupil; head and front half of body densely covered with orange spots; a white line around a large dark blotch behind eye; upper body with groups of squarish spots in clusters of 4 forming 4-5 partial bars (last 3 are solid bars in young); spots in diagonal rows on dorsal fin and forming bars on tail fin; no dark spot at front of dorsal fin.

Reaches 6.4 cm.

Lives on rocky, clearwater bottoms and live coral.

Depth range: 0-4.5 m.

Florida to the S Caribbean.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore Only
  • Inshore
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
  • Reef only
  • Rocks
  • Corals
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Omnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Benthic microalgae
  • Mobile benthic worms
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Benthic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • West Atlantic Endemic
  • All species.
  • Greater Caribbean endemic
Regional Endemism
  • GC endemic
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • All species..
  • Island (s)
  • Continent
  • Continental primarily
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
IUCN Red List
  • Listed
  • Least concern
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 6.4
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 4