- Classification
- ACTINOPTERYGII
- PERCIFORMES
- BLENNIIDAE
- Laiphognathus
- multimaculatus
Manyspot Blenny, Laiphognathus multimaculatus Smith 1955
Other Names: Many Spotted Blenny, Many-spotted Blenny, Spotty Blenny

Manyspot Blenny, Laiphognathus multimaculatus. Source: Barry Hutchins / Western Australian Museum. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Summary:
A pale yellowish combtooth blenny with small dusky-golden spots scattered on the head and body, a pinkish belly, a narrow longitudinal black band on the spinous dorsal fin, black speckles on the outer half of the soft dorsal fin, and a dusky margin on the anal and caudal fins. Males have a dark circular spot just before the anus, and develop reddish lips. The Manyspot Blenny has cirri on the anterior and posterior nostrils.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2021, Laiphognathus multimaculatus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 09 Feb 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/1072
Manyspot Blenny, Laiphognathus multimaculatus Smith 1955
More Info
Distribution |
Widespread in Australia, from just south of Perth, Western Australia, around the tropical north to the Solitary Islands, New South Wales. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical Indo-west Pacific from the east coast of Africa to the Solomon Islands. Inhabits shoreline rocky and coral reefs and sheltered lagoons in depths to 25 m, usually above 10 m. |
Features |
Dorsal fin X–XII, 18–21; Anal fin II, 19–22; Pectoral fin 12–14; Pelvic fin I, 3; Vertebrae 35–39. Body elongate, compressed. Head small, without crests; cirri present on both anterior and posterior nostril rims; cirri absent from nape. Gill opening small, gill membranes on both sides separated; caudal fin-rays unbranched. |
Species Citation |
Laiphognathus multimaculatus Smith 1955, Memorias do Museu Dr. Alvaro de Castro 3: 24, fig. 29. Type locality: Bazaruto Island, Mozambique. |
Author |
Bray, D.J. 2021 |
Resources |
Manyspot Blenny, Laiphognathus multimaculatus Smith 1955
References
Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls.
Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 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.
Johnson, J. W. 1999. Annotated checklist of the fishes of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 43 (2): 709-762. (as Laiphognathus cf. multimaculatus) Ref at BHL
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)
Kubo, M. & Sasaki, K. 2000. Larvae of Laiphognathus multimaculatus (Omobranchini, Blenniidae) with pterygiophore blades: Functional implications. Ichthyological Research 47: 193–197. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02684241
Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P. 2013. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa 3696(1): 1-293
Murase, A. 2007. A new species of the blenniid fish, Laiphognathus longispinis (Perciformes: Blenniidae), from southern Japan and Taiwan. Ichthyological Research 54(3): 287-296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-007-0403-5
Smith, J.L.B. 1955. New species and new records of fishes from Moçambique. Part 1. Memorias do Museu Dr. Alvaro de Castro 3: 3-27 16 figs pls 1-3
Springer, V.G. 1968. Osteology and classification of the fishes of the family Blenniidae. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 284: 1-83 Ref available online Open access
Springer, V.G. 1972. Synopsis of the tribe Omobranchini with descriptions of three new genera and two new species (Pisces : Blenniidae). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 130: 1-31 figs 1-16 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.130 Open access
Springer, V.G. 1981. Notes on blenniid fishes of the tribe Omobranchini, with descriptions of two new species. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 94(3): 699-707 figs 1-2 Ref at BHL
Springer, V.G. 1986. Family No. 235: Blenniidae. pp. 742-755 in Smith, M.M. & Heemstra, P.C. (eds). Smith's Sea Fishes. Johannesburg : Macmillan South Africa xx + 1047 pp. 144 pls.
Springer, V.G. 2001. Blenniidae. pp. 3538-3546 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 6 pp. 3381-4218.
Springer, V.G. & Gomon, M.F. 1975. Revision of the blenniid fish genus Omobranchus with descriptions of three new species and notes on other species of the tribe Omobranchini. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 177: 135. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.177 Open access
Williams, J.T. 2014. Laiphognathus multimaculatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T48342362A48406495. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T48342362A48406495.en. Downloaded on 29 January 2019.