Labrisomids

Related Articles: Blennioids and their Relatives,

/The Conscientious Marine Aquarist

The Labrisomids, Family Labrisomidae, Suborder Blennioidea

By Bob Fenner

Malacoctenus bohlkei

The family Labrisomidae, Labrisomid Blennies; some of these are livebearing (Xenomedea & east pacific species of Starksia). Several labrisomids live in close conjunction with sea anemones and have protection from their stings. Sixteen genera with about a hundred species; Atlantic and Pacific, mostly tropical. Genera I've seen offered in the trade are Labrisomus, Starksia, Neoclinus, Exerpes, Malacoctenus (M. triangulatus at right) , Paraclinus, Dialommus, the worm-like Stathmonotus, and Xenomedea.

Genus Labrisomus:

Labrisomus dendriticus (Reid 1935), the Dendritic Blenny. To 13 cm. Southeast Pacific: the Galapagos and Malpelo islands. Feeds on crustaceans and small fishes. Males are aggressive to others of their same sex. Occur in and amongst rocky aggregations. Galapagos images of a juvenile, female and spawning colored male. http://fishbase.org/Summary/
SpeciesSummary.php?id=25531&CFID=
44388074&CFTOKEN=66360787

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Genus Malacoctenus:

Malacoctenus bohlkei Springer 1959, the Diamond Blenny. Tropical West Atlantic; Bahamas to Belize. One off of South Bimini by RMF, another in Grand Turks by Di. To about two and a half inches in length. Easily approached underwater, once observed! http://fishbase.org/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=16476&genusname=Malacoctenus&speciesname =boehlkei

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Malacoctenus ebisui, Fishgod Blenny. To 3 inches. Here's a female in Puerto Vallarta 2015 and a male in Costa Rica (Pacific Side) 2013.

Malacoctenus tetranemus, Throatspotted Blenny. To 2.5 inches. Here a male and female in Puerto Vallarta 2015

Malacoctenus triangulatus Springer 1959, the Saddled Blenny. Western Atlantic; Bahamas to Brazil, St. Paul's Rocks. To three inches in length. One happily perched on a leather yellow coral (Hi Don!) in captivity, another in the Turks. http://fishbase.org/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=3738&genusname=Malacoctenus&speciesname =triangulatus

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