Smallspotted Combtooth Blenny, Ecsenius stictus Springer 1988
Other Names: Great Barrier Reef Blenny, Japanese Coral Blenny, Small-spotted Comb-tooth
A Smallspotted Combtooth Blenny, Ecsenius stictus, resting on on an agaricid coral, on the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland. Source: Andy Lewis / Lizard Island Field Guide http://lifg.australianmuseum.net.au/Hierarchy.html. License: CC By Attribution-NonCommercial
Summary:
A pale comb-tooth blenny with sparse fine dark spots peppering the rear of the body, a dark Y-shaped or forked mark on the fleshy pectoral-fin base, a black lower lip and black "chin-strap", and an indistinct dark stripe running from the rear of the eye to above the gill cover.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2021, Ecsenius stictus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 10 Sep 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/1068
Smallspotted Combtooth Blenny, Ecsenius stictus Springer 1988
More Info
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Distribution |
Northern Great Barrier Reef and reefs in the Coral Sea, to about Moreton Bay, Queensland. Elsewhere the species occurs in the east-Indo-west-central Pacific. Inhabits shallow reefs, often perching on coral heads in lagoons and reef flats, at depths to 11 m - usually in areas not exposed to heavy surge. |
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Features |
Dorsal fin XII-XIII, (rarely XIII), 13-15; Anal fin II, 15-17; Pectoral fin 12-14 (rarely 12 or 14); Segmented caudal-fin rays 13; Vertebrae 10 + 21-23. Dorsal fin deeply incised between spinous and segmented-ray areas. Dentary incisor teeth which includes anterior canines very similar in appearance from incisors, 46-54 in males and 48 to 56 in females, averaging more in females than males; posterior canines 0 or 1 (usually 1). Lateral line without vertical pairs of pores, extending posteriorly to point between vertical from interspace between 9th and 10th spines and vertical from base of 11th dorsal-fin spine (rarely anterior to base of 10th spine). With cirrus on posterior rim of anterior nostril; absent on anterior rim. |
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Colour |
Body pale with a distinct, dark Y-shaped mark on the fleshy pectoral-fin base, a black "chin-strap", fine dark spots sparsely peppering the rear of the body, a dark horizontal stripe from the rear of the eye above the gill cover, a dark lower lip followed by a conspicuous pale salmon-pink area on the chin and a dark dusky area behind. The fine dark spots are aligned, more or less, in two or three rows, and may be continuous with dark dash-like marks anteriorly on the body. |
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Biology |
Females lay demersal eggs that are attached to the bottom via a filamentous, adhesive pad or pedestal. The larvae are planktonic, often found in shallow, coastal waters. |
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Fisheries |
Semi-translucent grey body, pale orange eyes, black ‘chinstrap’, dark V-shaped mark on pectoral fin base, faint spots and dashes in rows along body, and fine black spots scattered on rear half of body. Also has a darker colour form with a more heavily patterned body, black spots on rear of body are still present though. |
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Remarks |
Small family groups usually live atop large bommies and coral heads, perching on their pectoral and pelvic fins when not feeding. |
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Similar Species |
The similar Palespotted Combtooth Blenny Ecsenius yaeyamensis, also has a dark Y-shaped dark mark on the fleshy pectoral-fin base, and has larger white spots on the body rather than fine black spots, along with distinct black dashes behind the eye. |
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Etymology |
The specific name is from the Greek stictus (= spotted), in reference to the fine dark spots on the body that distinguish the species. |
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Species Citation |
Ecsenius stictus Springer, 1988, Smithson. Contrib. Zool. 465: 74, fig. 38, pl. 9(5, 6). Type locality: reef face about 1 mile from One Tree Island, Capricorn Group, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia, depth 0-15 feet. |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2021 |
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Resources |
Smallspotted Combtooth Blenny, Ecsenius stictus Springer 1988
References
Bath, H. 1977. Revision der Blenniini (Pisces: Blenniidae). Senckenbergiana Biologica 57(4/6): 167-234.
Bath, H. & Hutchins, J.B. 1986. Die Blenniini des australischen Raums und Neuseelands mit Beschreibung einer neuen Art und einer neuen Unterart (Pisces: Blenniidae). Senckenbergiana Biologica 66(4/6): 167-213.
Coleman, N. 1981. Australian Sea Fishes North of 30°S. Lane Cove, NSW : Doubleday Australia Pty Ltd 297 pp.
Johnson, J.W. 2010. Fishes of the Moreton Bay Marine Park and adjacent continental shelf waters, Queensland, Australia. pp. 299-353 in Davie, P.J.F. & Phillips, J.A. Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Marine Biological Workshop, The Marine Fauna and Flora of Moreton Bay. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 54(3)
Kuiter, R.H. 1992. Tropical Reef-Fishes of the Western Pacific, Indonesia and Adjacent Waters. Jakarta : PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama 314 pp. pls.
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.
Russell, B.C. 1983. Annotated checklist of the coral reef fishes in the Capricorn-Bunker group, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Special Publication Series 1: 1-184 figs 1-2 (as Ecsenius yaeyamaensis)
Springer, V.G. 1971. Revision of the fish genus Ecsenius (Blenniidae, Blenniinae, Salariini). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 72: 1-74 figs 1-36 https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.72 (as Ecsenius yaeyamaensis, in part - Great Barrier Reef)
Springer, V.G. 1988. The Indo-Pacific blenniid fish genus Ecsenius. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology: i-iv + 1-134, col. Pls. 1-14. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.465
Townsend, K.A. & Tibbetts, I.R. 2000. Biomass and distribution of herbivorous blennies in the southern Great Barrier Reef. Journal of Fish Biology 56: 774-791.
Williams, J.T. 2014. Ecsenius stictus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T48342262A48409107. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T48342262A48409107.en. Downloaded on 20 September 2018.
Wilson, S.K. 2000. Trophic status and feeding selectivity of blennies (Blenniidae: Salariini). Marine Biology 136: 431-437
Wilson, S.K. 2001. Multiscale habitat associations of detrivorous blennies (Blenniidae: Salariini). Coral Reefs 20: 245-251.
Wilson, S.K. 2001. An investigation into the trophic nature of small reef fish from the tribe Salariini, family Blennidae, Ph.D. thesis, James Cook University, Australia.
Wilson, S.K., Fisher, R. & Pratchett, M.S. 2013. Differential use of shelter holes by sympatric species of blennies (Blennidae). Marine Biology 160: 2405-2411
