Species: Malacoctenus costaricanus, Costarican blenny
body 6 bars; flank: series rows of dots
wide space between nape cirri
LL 50-51
scales before D & on pectoral base
Malacoctenus costaricanus Springer, 1959
Costarican blenny
Head slender, snout pointed; 4-7 pores under head between insertions of opercular flaps; a pair of heavily branched nape cirri, space between those > 4 times width of a cirrus base; a branched cirrus over eye; upper part of rear end of top jaw covered by bone under eye; no small teeth behind outer row of large teeth on upper jaw; no teeth on sides of roof of mouth; gill rakers 10-11; dorsal fin XIX, 11, 1st spine long, > 11% SL, notch between spines and rays; anal II, 19; pectoral 13-14 (usually 14) rays; 3 pelvic soft rays, length of shortest ray 50-55% longest ray; 50-51 lateral line scales; belly scales smaller than flank scales; 1 or more scales on top of nape in front of dorsal fin, and on lower margin of pectoral base, and sometimes on breast.
Head light, with dark spots behind eye & on gill cover; body with 6 irregular bars, darker above midline & extending onto dorsal fin; adults with multiple longitudinal series of small spots along flank; front of dorsal fin dark, rear with scattered spots; tail fin with irregular bars, with dark spots and dark rear tips of upper 2 and lower 2 rays.
Size: 6.2 cm.
Habitat: coastal rocky areas.
Depth: 1-10 m?
El Salvador to Costa Rica.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Bottom only
- Habitat
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- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Reef only
- Rocks
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- No Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
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- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Mobile benthic worms
- No Data
- Egg Type
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- No data
- Pelagic larva
- Benthic
- Global Endemism
-
- All species
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- East Pacific endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent only
- All species
- Continent
- TEP endemic
- Continental TEP endemic
- Panamic province endemic
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- IUCN Red List
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- Data deficient
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 6.2
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 10
