Genus: Malacoctenus, Blennies

MALACOCTENUS

BLENNIES

Head slender, snout pointed; a pair of heavily branched cirri on the nape; a branched cirrus over eye; upper part of rear end of top jaw covered by bone under eye; small teeth behind outer row of large teeth on upper jaw absent in most species; no teeth on sides of roof of mouth; dorsal fin XVIII-XXIII, 9-12, notch between spines and rays; pelvic fins with with I (internal), 3, inserted before pectoral base; all fin rays unbranched; 40-69 lateral line scales; lateral line tubes or canals at least on front of body; smooth scales on rear of body.

A neotropical genus of 18 species that occurs on both sides of the Atlantic as well as our region, where there are 9 endemics.