Species: Acanthemblemaria harpeza, Thornybush Blenny

Acanthemblemaria harpeza Williams, 2002

Thornybush 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.