Lined Rockskipper, Istiblennius lineatus (Valenciennes 1836)


Other Names: Black-lined Blenny, Lined Blenny, Narrow-lined Blenny, Tide Pool Blenny, Tidepool Blenny

A Lined Rockskipper, Istiblennius lineatus, at North West Cape, Western Australia, November 2018. Source: Alex Hoschke / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:
A pale yellowish to whitish rockskipper, with with about 5 double bars along the side, narrow greyish to blackish lines along the side (darker in females) that break up into spots on the rear of the body, dark vertical lines on the head, and dark diagonal lines on the soft dorsal fin. Adult males have a large fleshy blade-like crest on top of the head.

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2022, Istiblennius lineatus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 29 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/1914

Lined Rockskipper, Istiblennius lineatus (Valenciennes 1836)

More Info


Distribution

Scarborough to Point Samson, Western Australia, Cartier Island in the Timor Sea, and the far northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, to Minnie Water, New South Wales; also Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean. Elsewhere the species is widespread in the tropical, east-Indo-west-central Pacific.

Inhabits the exposed intertidal zone of rocky shores, including reef flats, rock pools and mangrove areas.

Features

Dorsal fin XIII-XIV, 21-25; Anal fin II,22-25; Pectoral fin 13-15; Pelvic fin I,3.
Body elongate; cirri absent from nape; supraorbital cirrus usually a triangular filament with short medial and lateral branches in adults; nasal cirri short, palmate. Adult males with a single large, blade-like occipital crest, females sometimes with a low ridge. Margin of upper lip crenulate, margin of lower lip smooth. Dorsal fin deeply notched, last ray attached by membrane to caudal peduncle. 

Feeding

Usually seen in groups grazing on algae.

Species Citation

Salarias lineatus Valenciennes, 1836, Histoire Naturelle des Poissons 11: 314. Type locality: Java, Indonesia.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2022

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Lined Rockskipper, Istiblennius lineatus (Valenciennes 1836)

References


Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.

Allen, G.R. & Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 1994. Fishes of Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin 412: 1-21.

Allen, G.R., Steene, R.C. & Orchard, M. 2007. Fishes of Christmas Island. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 2 edn, 284 pp.

Allen, G.R. & Steene, R.C. 1988. Fishes of Christmas Island Indian Ocean. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 197 pp.

Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls.

Grant, E.M. 1975. Guide to Fishes. Brisbane : Queensland Government, Co-ordinator General’s Department 640 pp.

Hobbs, J-P.A., S .J. Newman, G.E.A. Mitsopoulos, M.J. Travers, C.L. Skepper, J.J. Gilligan, G.R. Allen, H.J. Choat & A.M. Ayling. 2014. Checklist and new records of Christmas Island fishes: the influence of isolation, biogeography and habitat availability on species abundance and community composition. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 30: 184–202.

Hobbs, J-P.A., S .J. Newman, G.E.A. Mitsopoulos, M.J. Travers, C.L. Skepper, J.J. Gilligan, G.R. Allen, H.J. Choat & A.M. Ayling. 2014. Fishes of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands: new records, community composition and biogeographic significance. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 30: 203–219.

McCulloch, A.R. & McNeill, F.A. 1918. Some Australian blennoid fishes. Records of the Australian Museum 12(2): 9–25. (as Salarias lineatus)

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs.

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs.

Springer, V.G. & Williams, J.T. 1994. The Indo-west Pacific blenniid fish genus Istiblennius reappraised: a revision of Istiblennius, Blenniella, and Paralticus, new genus. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 565: 1-193 figs 1-73

Valenciennes, A. in Cuvier, G.L. & Valenciennes, A. 1836. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : Levrault Vol. 11 506 pp. pls 307-343. See ref at BHL

Williams, J.T. 2014. Istiblennius lineatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T48342321A48387105. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T48342321A48387105.en. Accessed on 27 June 2022.

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37408045

Biology:Amphibious

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Depth:0-3 m

Habitat:Rocky shorelines, tidepools

Max Size:15 cmTL

Species Image Gallery

Species Maps

CAAB distribution map