Species: Hypsoblennius ionthas, Freckled blenny
below eye: 2 bars, yellow between
behind eye: yellow bar before dark blotch
Hypsoblennius ionthas (Jordan & Gilbert, 1882)
Freckled blenny
Moderately elongate; short robust head, with very steep front profile; cirrus over eye short and branched in female, long and strap-like with fringes in male; no cirri on nape, a short cirrus at nostril; top lip with a free top edge; a broad fleshy knob at tip of lower jaw; 3 pores on each side of lower jaw; teeth with blunt flattened tips, in single rows, not movable, no canines on either jaw; gill openings restricted to sides of body by fusion of gill cover membranes to throat; dorsal fin XI-XIII (spines strong), 13-16, with a slight notch between the spiny and soft parts; pelvic fins I, 3; fin rays unbranched, except on tail fin; lateral line ends under end of spiny dorsal fin; no scales.
Female olive green to brown; body and lower sides of head densely freckled with blackish dots; 2 dark bars separated by yellow to orange area down under eye; behind eye with yellow to orange area before a dark blotch, the front border of which is well defined; vertical fins greenish brown. Male similar to female, but front of dorsal fin blackish.
Reaches 8.4 cm.
Lives on hard bottoms in shallow bays and estuaries.
Depth range: 0-3 m.
S Carolina to the Gulf of Mexico.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Habitat
-
- Reef only
- Rocks
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
-
- Data
- Omnivore
- Corallivore
- Diet
-
- Benthic microalgae
- Mobile benthic worms
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Soft corals/hydroids
- Data
- Egg Type
-
- Data
- Benthic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
-
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- All species.
- Regional Endemism
-
- Continent
- GC endemic
- Extends North of GC
- All species..
- Continent only
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
-
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- IUCN Red List
-
- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Length Max
-
- 8.4
- Depth Range Min
-
- 0
- Depth Range Max
-
- 3
