Surf Triplefin, Enneapterygius rhothion Fricke 1997

Other Names: New Caledonian Blackhead Surf Triplefin

Summary:

The males are reddish with faint, dark brown bars along the body, and a dark grey chest with scattered black spots almost as large as pupil on the lower half of the head. Females are a translucent pale greyish to whitish with red or dark brown double bars along the body, an oblique red to dark brown band from the upper lip to the eye, a red or dark brown blotch on the gill cover and pectoral-fin base, and transparent median fins with red rays.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2025, Enneapterygius rhothion in Fishes of Australia, accessed 28 Jun 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/5765

Surf Triplefin, Enneapterygius rhothion Fricke 1997

More Info

Distribution	A single specimen from Green Island, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland. Elsewhere the species occurs in New Caledonia (where it is a common species) and Vanuatu. Inhabits coralline rock and areas of high swells, and surge channels and tidal pools around fringing reefs with high wave action.
Features	Dorsal fin III + XI-XIV + 7-10; Anal fin I, 17-21; Lateral line interrupted, 14-18 + 16-20; Mandibular pores 4-5 + 2 + 4-5. Small supraorbital tentacle; first dorsal fin shorter by 50% than second dorsal fin.
Etymology	The specific name is from the Greek rothion (= surf), in reference to the favourite habitat of this species - on rocks in surge channels or around fringing reefs exposed to the surf.
Species Citation	Enneapterygius rhothion Fricke 1997, Theses Zoologicae 31:304, Fig. 64. Type locality: Touaourou, 6 kilometers southeast of Yaté, Grande Terre, New Caledonia, 22°10'36"S, 166°57'51"E, depth 0-0.6 m.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2025
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Surf Triplefin, Enneapterygius rhothion Fricke 1997

References

Dewa, Y. & Motomura, H. 2024. First records of two triplefins, Enneapterygius rhothion and Enneapterygius olivaceus (Actinopterygii: Blenniiformes: Tripterygiidae), from Australia and Vanuatu. Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria 54: 261-268. https://doi.org/10.3897/aiep.54.135448

Fricke, R. 1997. Tripterygiid fishes of the western and central Pacific, with descriptions of 15 new species, including an annotated checklist of world Tripterygiidae (Teleostei). Theses Zoologicae 31, Koeltz Scientific Books, Königstein. i-ix + 1-607.

Fricke, R. 2001. Enneapterygius trisignatus, a new species from northern Grande Terre, with a key to New Caledonian tripterygiid fishes (Teleostei). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde. Serie A (Biologie) 630: 1-9.

Fricke, R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2017. Enneapterygius niue, a new species of triplefin from Niue and Samoa, southwestern Pacific Ocean (Teleostei: Tripterygiidae). Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation 25: 14-32. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.269464

Randall, J.E. 2005. Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu. i-xii + 1-707.

Williams, J. 2014. Enneapterygius rhothion. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T179017A1559815. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T179017A1559815.en. Accessed on 17 June 2025.