BLENNIES
The common name blenny is ambiguous at best, as it has
been applied to several families of perciform marine,
brackish and some freshwater fishes all sharing similar
morphology and behaviour. There are six families
considered "true blennies", all grouped together under
the suborder Blennioidei; its members are referred to as
blennioids. There are approximately 833 species in 130
genera within the suborder.
Blennioids are generally small fish, with elongate bodies
(some almost eel-like), relatively large eyes and mouths.
Their dorsal fins are often continuous and long; the
pelvic fins typically have a single embedded spine and
are short and slender, situated before the pectoral fins.
The tail fin is rounded. The blunt heads of blennioids
often possess elaborate whisker-like structures called
cirri. As generally benthic fish, blennioids spend much of
their time on or near the sea floor; many are reclusive
and may burrow in sandy substrates or inhabit crevices
in reefs, the lower stretches of rivers, or even empty
mollusk shells.
These fish are superficially quite similar to members of
the goby and dragonet families, as well as several other
unrelated families whose members have occasionally
been given the name "blenny".
The six "true blenny" families are as follows:
* Blenniidae: combtooth blennies, including the
sabre-toothed blennies.
* Chaenopsidae: pikeblennies, tubeblennies and
flagblennies.
* Clinidae: clinids, including the giant kelpfish.
* Dactyloscopidae: sand stargazers.
* Labrisomidae.
* Tripterygiidae: threefin blennies.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
