Species: Malacoctenus zonifer, Glossy blenny
throat & belly: dark spots
front D: outer edge not dark
LL 54-58
scales before D, not on pectoral base
Malacoctenus zonifer (Jordan & Gilbert, 1882)
Glossy blenny
Headslender, snout pointed; a close-set pair of heavily branched nape cirri, 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 11 (9-12); adult with 4-5 (1-9) pores on underside of head between front ends of gill flaps; dorsal fin XX, 11, (XIX-XXI, 10-12), notch between spines and rays; anal II, 19 (17-20); pectoral 14 (13-14); 3 pelvic soft rays, length of shortest ray at least 57% of length of longest ray; 54-58 (52-60) lateral line scales; scales on belly smaller than those on flanks; midline in front of dorsal fin with at least one scale; scales absent on prepectoral region, sometimes present on breast.
Back olive, with series of 5 dark saddles; an irregular dark brown to blackish mid-lateral stripe; throat and lower side whitish with brown to blackish blotches and spots; a prominent double dark spot on head just behind eye; males with head more uniformly dark; females with underside of head spotted, and with two large spots on the lower opercle; dorsal, tail and pectoral fins spotted, less so in male; upper part of membranes between first III-IV dorsal spines not heavily pigmented; anal fin dark in male, spotted in female.
Size: attains 8 cm.
Habitat: rocky and rubble bottoms.
Depth: 1-10 m.
The tip of Baja and the central Gulf of California to southern Mexico.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine Only
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Reef only
- Rocks
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- No Data
- Diet
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- Mobile benthic worms
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Data
- Egg Type
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- Benthic
- No data
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- East Pacific endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- All species
- TEP endemic
- Continent
- Island (s)
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 8
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 10
