Species: Starksia springeri, Springer’s Blenny

Starksia springeri Castillo and Baldwin, 2011

Springer’s Blenny

Body elongate, compressed; bluntly pointed head; no eye cirri; nostril and nape cirri unbranched; dorsal fin XVIII, 8, a notch between spines and rays; anal fin II, 15, 1st anal spine of male long, free from rest of fin, modified as sexual organ; no ridge or fold along anal fin base; pectorals 14; pelvic fins I (internal), 2, inserted before pectoral base; all fin rays unbranched; lateral line continuous, front section arched, rear section straight; belly scaleless; smooth scales on rear of body.

Head and body pale brown, with irregular dark red-brown blotches in a network of thin pale lines, those blotches usually not in 2-3 offset longitudinal rows, but sometimes in poorly defined rows, the upper blotches forming saddles on the upper back, although body sometimes nearly uniform; cheek behind eye with an prominent irregular dark bar or blotch that is notched at the front, and bordered below and behind by distinctly pale areas; with a dark line along rear edge of preopercle; most of opercle covered with a vertically elongate dark blotch; pale space between 2 dark blotches on pectoral fin base has straight edges; dorsal fin spines situated above a back saddle with a red-brown spot on its base; a prominent ¾ eye-sized black spot on top (and sometimes bottom) of body extending onto bases of last soft dorsal (and anal) rays; dark bars under eye, dark blotches on cheek and behind eye.

Reaches 2.1 cm.

Lives on reef flats and outer reefs in coral rich areas.

Depth range: 0-25 m.

S Caribbean.