Species: Acanthemblemaria harpeza, Thorny-bush blenny, Thornybush blenny
cirri: eye heavily branched, nasal - 6-11 branches
lower head: dark, white stripe along lower midline
Acanthemblemaria harpeza Williams, 2002
Thorny-bush blenny
Body elongate; short blunt head; well developed, forward pointing sharp spines on snout and extending back to a triangular patch of 7-10 spines behind eye; multiple rows of well-developed teeth on side of roof of mouth; 1 pair of extensively branched cirri over eyes, each cirrus with up to 30 tips; nostrils with heavily branched (>6 and up to 11 tips) cirri; dorsal fin XXI (XXI-XXII), 14-15), fin with a well developed fleshy flap at front, a slight notch between spiny and soft parts; pelvics I (internal), 2-3, inserted before pectoral base; all fin rays unbranched; no lateral line; no scales.
Background of head and body with large yellow and blue blotches; head and most of body with small blue-white spots; lower head dark purple, with a white stripe along underside from tip of lower jaw almost to pelvics; iris with a red ring; dorsal fin with two red spots on front flap, no dark blotch at front of fin, a white stripe along outer edge of fin, inside which there is a yellow stripe; front 13-14 spines with blue spots; tail fin clear, with yellow spots; pelvics black, with white stripe.
Reaches 3.3 cm.
Lives in holes of undercut coralline rock bottoms.
Depth range: 0-5 m.
The Bahamas to the SW Caribbean.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Barnacles & worm tubes
- Reef only
- Rocks
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Planktivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Zooplankton
- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
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- Benthic
- Pelagic larva
- Data
- Global Endemism
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- All species.
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Island (s)
- All species..
- GC endemic
- Continent
- Continent + Island (s)
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Data deficient
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 3.3
- Depth Range Min
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- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 5
