Species: Malacoctenus mexicanus, Mexican blenny
operculum: white-edged dark oval
male: rear back - 3 black blotches
belly & flank scales same size
scales before D & on pectoral base
Malacoctenus mexicanus Springer, 1959
Mexican blenny
Head slender, snout pointed; nape with a pair of heavily branched 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 in most species; no teeth on sides of roof of mouth; 1 (1-4) pores on underside of head between front ends of gill covers; gill rakers 10-12; dorsal fin XXI (XX-XXII), 11 (10-12), notch between spines and rays of dorsal fin; pectoral 15 (14-16), rarely 14; anal fin II, 21 (20-22); 3 pelvic soft rays, length of shortest ray usually > 44.4% of longest ray; lateral line tubes or canals at least on front of body; scales present on midline of nape, before pectorals and on breast; 51-56 lateral line scales; scales on belly same size as scales on side of body; scales between front part of lateral line and upper body profile 4 (4-5).
Female: whitish with numerous irregular yellow-brown to grey-brown blotches on sides, belly white; a large pale-edged brown spot covering most of operculum; nuptial males dark greenish to grey, with several diffuse dark bars and 3 black spots on rear back.
Size: reaches 6.5 cm.
Habitat: rocky and rubble bottoms.
Depth: 1-21 m.
The central Gulf of California to southern Mexico.
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 only
- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Reef only
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Rocks
- Submerged vegetation
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
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- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Sessile worms
- Mobile benthic worms
- Egg Type
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- Pelagic larva
- No data
- Benthic
- Global Endemism
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- East Pacific endemic
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continental TEP endemic
- Continent only
- TEP endemic
- Continent
- Cortez + Mexican provinces endemic
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- 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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- 6.5
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 21
