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Species: Emblemaria piratica, Sailfin signal-blenny

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

snout: 2 ridges with tubercles
male: head black, eye red, D - black, orange & blue, 1st spine - 3-5 skin flaps
female: D- 1st 3 spines long, then notch; pale, white flecks, brown spots
A 21-23

Emblemaria piratica Ginsburg, 1942

Sailfin signal-blenny

Body elongate; head short and blunt; head without spines; snout with 2 longitudinal ridges broken into distinct tubercles; 1 unbranched cirrus over eye that is often longer than eye; 1 row of teeth on each side of roof of mouth; dorsal fin XX-XXI, 13-14, male with large, sail-like front of dorsal fin, membrane between 1st  4 spines indented, 1st  spine with 3-5 small flag-like skin flaps at front at base; 1st  3 dorsal spines elevated in female, then a notch; anal rays II, 21-23; pectoral rays 13; pelvic fin longer than pectoral.

Males with dark brown head and lighter brown body, sides with faint brown bars and white flecks; dorsal fin of males black at front, before an area with broad yellow or red zones between diagonal black bands; females generally pale, somewhat translucent with midlateral row of brown spots and numerous white flecks.

Size: attains 4 cm.

Inhabits empty mollusc tubes on sand-rubble bottoms.

Depth: 5-30 m.

Central Mexico to Panama.


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Salinity
  • Marine Only
  • Marine
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom only
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Soft bottom only
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Barnacles & worm tubes
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
  • Sand & gravel
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
Feeding Group
  • Planktivore
  • Carnivore
  • No Data
Diet
  • Pelagic fish eggs
  • Zooplankton
  • Data
Egg Type
  • No data
  • Benthic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • East Pacific endemic
  • Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Mexican + Panamic provinces endemic
  • Continent only
  • Continent
  • Continental TEP endemic
  • All species
  • TEP endemic
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
  • Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 4
Depth Range Min
  • 5
Depth Range Max
  • 30