Chaenopsidae
Encyclopedia
The blennioid family Chaenopsidae includes the pike-blennies, tube-blennies and flagblennies: all perciform marine fish
. The family is strictly tropical, ranging from North
to South America
. There are 14 genera and 90 species represented, the largest being the sarcastic fringehead
, Neoclinus blanchardi, at 30 centimetres (11.8 in) in length; most are much smaller, and the group includes perhaps the smallest of all vertebrates, Acanthemblemaria paula
, measuring just 1.3 centimetre (0.511811023622047 in) long as an adult.
With highly compressed bodies, some may be so elongate as to appear eel
-like; chaenopsids are scaleless and lack lateral line
s. Their heads are rough and may be armed with spines. There may be 17 to 28 spines in the dorsal fin
, with two in the anal fin.
The habit of taking up home in abandoned worm
tubes has earned some species in this family the name "tube-blenny". Many will also inhabit empty clam shells, which also serve as nesting sites; males are known to guard the brood. Some species have dorsal fins which are significantly higher towards the head, explaining the moniker "flagblenny". Crustacean
s make up the bulk of the chaenopsid diet.
At least one species found in the Caribbean
is known to form a symbiotic
relationship with stony coral.
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
. The family is strictly tropical, ranging from North
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. There are 14 genera and 90 species represented, the largest being the sarcastic fringehead
Sarcastic fringehead
The sarcastic fringehead is a ferocious fish which has a large mouth and aggressive territorial behaviour. When two fringeheads have a territorial battle, they wrestle by pressing their distended mouths against each other, as if they were kissing. This allows them to determine which is the...
, Neoclinus blanchardi, at 30 centimetres (11.8 in) in length; most are much smaller, and the group includes perhaps the smallest of all vertebrates, Acanthemblemaria paula
Acanthemblemaria paula
Acanthemblemaria paula, known commonly as the Dwarf spinyhead blenny in the United States, is a species of chaenopsid blenny in the genus Acanthemblemaria. It is found in coral reefs around Belize, in the western central Atlantic ocean. It was named by G.D. Johnson and E.B. Brothers in 1989, and...
, measuring just 1.3 centimetre (0.511811023622047 in) long as an adult.
With highly compressed bodies, some may be so elongate as to appear eel
Eel
Eels are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 20 families, 111 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators...
-like; chaenopsids are scaleless and lack lateral line
Lateral line
The lateral line is a sense organ in aquatic organisms , used to detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water. Lateral lines are usually visible as faint lines running lengthwise down each side, from the vicinity of the gill covers to the base of the tail...
s. Their heads are rough and may be armed with spines. There may be 17 to 28 spines in the dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
, with two in the anal fin.
The habit of taking up home in abandoned worm
Worm
The term worm refers to an obsolete taxon used by Carolus Linnaeus and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals, and stems from the Old English word wyrm. Currently it is used to describe many different distantly-related animals that typically have a long cylindrical...
tubes has earned some species in this family the name "tube-blenny". Many will also inhabit empty clam shells, which also serve as nesting sites; males are known to guard the brood. Some species have dorsal fins which are significantly higher towards the head, explaining the moniker "flagblenny". Crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s make up the bulk of the chaenopsid diet.
At least one species found in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
is known to form a symbiotic
Symbiosis
Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. In 1877 Bennett used the word symbiosis to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens...
relationship with stony coral.
Genera
- AcanthemblemariaAcanthemblemariaAcanthemblemaria is a genus of fish in the Chaenopsidae family.It contains the following species:* Acanthemblemaria aspera -- roughhead blenny * Acanthemblemaria atrata Hastings and Robertson, 1999...
- ChaenopsisChaenopsisChaenopsis is a genus of pikeblennies found in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.-Species:* Cortez pikeblenny, Chaenopsis coheni * Delta pikeblenny, Chaenopsis deltarrhis...
- Cirriemblemaria
- CoralliozetusCoralliozetusCoralliozetus is a genus of fish in the Chaenopsidae family. It has eight described species.-Species:* Tayrona blenny * Angel blenny, Coralliozetus angelicus...
- EkemblemariaEkemblemariaEkemblemaria is a genus of chaenopsid blennies found in the eastern Pacific and western Atlantic oceans.-Species:* Ekemblemaria lira * Reefsand blenny, Ekemblemaria myersi...
- EmblemariaEmblemariaEmblemaria is a genus of chaenopsid blennies found throughout the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.-Species:* Banner blenny, Emblemaria atlantica * Emblemaria australis...
- EmblemariopsisEmblemariopsisEmblemariopsis is a genus of flagblennies found throughout the Atlantic ocean. It has fourteen described species.-Species:* Emblemariopsis arawak * Blackhead blenny, Emblemariopsis bahamensis...
- Hemiemblemaria
- Lucayablennius
- Mccoskerichthys
- NeoclinusNeoclinusNeoclinus is a genus of chaenopsid blennies found in the Pacific ocean. It has nine described species.-Species:* Sarcastic fringehead, Neoclinus blanchardi * Neoclinus bryope...
- ProtemblemariaProtemblemariaProtemblemaria is a genus of fish in the Chaenopsidae family, found in the eastern Pacific and western Atlantic oceans.-Species:* Warthead blenny, Protemblemaria bicirrus * Protemblemaria perla...
- StathmonotusStathmonotusStathmonotus is a genus of chaenopsid blennies found in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.-Species:* Panamanian worm blenny, Stathmonotus culebrai * Naked blenny, Stathmonotus gymnodermis...
- Tanyemblemaria