Blenny ID mystery    12/25/15
Hi Bob (?),
<Yes; Kittie>
We live in SE Florida on a boat and are avid watchers of the water life around us, we have an aquarium and we often collect a clump of Sargassum and see what develops from it, identify and release. I am hoping you can help me identify what I have. I first saw tiny tiny eye shine but could not really tell what it was, after a few days you could tell it was a fish, at the right angle you could almost see the transparent body and tail. We watched as Gobe (I thought he was a goby) grew into what I believe now is a blenny. He is about 2 mo old. I have searched the Internet but cannot find anything with his coloring. He is light tan with darker checkerboard/leopard markings and has "Jiminy Cricket" type horns, they branch once, his dorsal fin runs the full length of his body with no separation and has a sapphire blue spot at the very front, his feet-like pectoral (?)
<Yes; yes and yes... am looking at these as well; and consulting principally Humann and DeLoach...>
fins are orangish yellow and his anal fin which runs from just behind the pectoral to tail has a sapphire edging. I am attaching a picture, if you zoom in you can see the colors. please excuse the poor quality as he is a quick little bugger! Thank you in advance for your help and knowledge.
<Well, the nose isn't "pointed" enough to be a Triplefin... and the spines on the head, the blue spot on the forward dorsal... am guessing this is a Chaenopsid; a juvenile Acanthemblemaria aspera male.... though am surprised at where you found it. Should be easier to ID w/ growth.
Bob Fenner>