Species: Malacoctenus gigas, Sonora blenny
female - mesh of lines on flank
male - red below
LL 53-65
scales on pectoral base, & bread & sometimes nape
Malacoctenus gigas Springer, 1959
Sonora blenny
Head slender, snout pointed; underside of head between front of opercular flaps with 1-2 ( 1-3) pores;a close-set pair of heavily branched nape cirri,space between those 1/2-1 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; dorsal fin XXI, 12, (XIX-XXIII, 12-14), notch between spines and rays; anal II, 22-23 (20-24); pectoral 14 (13-15); 3 pelvic soft rays; 56-62 (53-65) lateral line scales; belly scales smaller than flank scales; scales present or absent on midline in front of dorsal fin; scales present on prepectoral and breast areas of specimens > 5 cm SL.
Greenish on upper half, whitish on breast and belly, 4-5 irregular-shaped dark brown bars on side; male: dorsal, anal and caudal fins uniformly dusky: female: dorsal, anal and tail fins spotted, lower flank with reticular pattern of dark lines.
Size: to 13 cm.
Habitat: very common in the northern Gulf of California on shallow reefs among seaweed.
Depth: 1-5 m.
Western and northeastern Gulf of California; Guadalupe Island.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Bottom only
- Habitat
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- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Submerged vegetation
- Reef only
- Rocks
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Mobile benthic worms
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Data
- Egg Type
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- No data
- Pelagic larva
- Benthic
- Global Endemism
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- East Pacific endemic
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- All species
- Regional Endemism
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- TEP endemic
- Continental TEP endemic
- Continent
- Continent + Island (s)
- Cortez province endemic
- Island (s)
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 13
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 5
