Species: Hypleurochilus springeri, Orangespotted Blenny

Hypleurochilus springeri Randall, 1966

Orangespotted 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 red spoke-like bars radiating from pupil that are thicker than the pale spaces between them; 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.