Heteroclinus kuiteri
Encyclopedia
Heteroclinus kuiteri, known commonly as the Kuiters weedfish in Australia
, is a species of clinid
in the genus Heteroclinus
.
, who is credited by the authors with providing a substantial amount of matrial on other Australian clinids.
Hoese and Rennis describe H. kuiteri as being most closely related to its sister taxon H. adelaidae
and H. macrophthalmus
, with all three species possessing a broad membrane connecting the anal ray to the caudal peduncle.
, in the eastern Indian Ocean
, Blennies in this species dwell in shallow waters in the presence of rocks and weeds. The blennies are known to swim at a depth range of 5–13 metres, and have also been reported to swim at about 15 metres deep.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, is a species of clinid
Clinid
Clinids are blennioids; perciform marine fish of the family Clinidae. Temperate blennies, the family ranges from the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, in both the Southern and Northern Hemisphere...
in the genus Heteroclinus
Heteroclinus
Heteroclinus is a genus of clinids found in the western Indo-Pacific.-Species:* Adelaide's weedfish, Heteroclinus adelaidae * Natal weedfish, Heteroclinus antinectes...
.
Etymology
Heteroclinus kuiteri was described by Douglas F. Hoese and Denise S. Rennis in 2006. The specific epithet "kuiteri" refers to Rudie KuiterRudie Kuiter
Rudie Kuiter is an Australian underwater photographer, taxonomist, and marine biologist. He has described many new species of seahorse.He was born in the Netherlands.-Publications:* Photo Guide to Fishes of the Maldives by Rudie H. Kuiter...
, who is credited by the authors with providing a substantial amount of matrial on other Australian clinids.
Description
Male Heteroclinus kuiteri can reach a maximum length of 6 centimetres. The colouration of the blennies varies, with both male and female bodies being primarily brown. The blennies are sometimes uniformly brown in colour, but can also possess a white-brown mottled band from the eyes to the tail, or approximately 8 dark brown bands along the body (most frequently shown in females), which become darker on the back.Hoese and Rennis describe H. kuiteri as being most closely related to its sister taxon H. adelaidae
Heteroclinus adelaidae
Heteroclinus adelaidae, known commonly as the Adelaide's weedfish in Australia, is a species of clinid in the genus Heteroclinus. It is a subtropical blenny found around southern Australia, in the western Pacific and Indian Ocean. It was named by F.L. Castlenau in 1872, and can reach a maximum...
and H. macrophthalmus
Heteroclinus macrophthalmus
Heteroclinus macrophthalmus, known commonly as the Large-eye weedfish or the Tasselled weedfish in Australia, is a species of clinid in the genus Heteroclinus. It is a temperate blenny found around southern Australia, in the eastern Indian Ocean. It was named by Douglas F. Hoese in 1976, and can...
, with all three species possessing a broad membrane connecting the anal ray to the caudal peduncle.
Distribution
Heteroclinus kuiteri is a subtropical blenny found from southern to western AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, in the eastern Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, Blennies in this species dwell in shallow waters in the presence of rocks and weeds. The blennies are known to swim at a depth range of 5–13 metres, and have also been reported to swim at about 15 metres deep.