Australian Combtooth Blenny, Ecsenius australianus Springer, 1988

Scientific name: Ecsenius australianus
Alternative name/s:
Australian Blenny, Pale-spotted Coral Blenny
Australian Combtooth Blenny, Ecsenius australianus Click to enlarge image
An Australian Combtooth Blenny at a depth of 15 m, Mantis Reef, Wreck Bay, far northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, 4 December 1999. Image: Erik Schlögl
© Erik Schlögl

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Genus
    Ecsenius
    Species
    australianus
    Family
    Blenniidae
    Order
    Perciformes
    Class
    Actinopterygii
    Subphylum
    Vertebrata
    Phylum
    Chordata
    Kingdom
    Animalia
  • Size Range
    The species grows to 6 cm in length.

Introduction

The Australian Combtooth Blenny is a small fish that lives in shallow tropical waters. It has a red-brown body with two rows of white spots.

Identification

The Australian Combtooth Blenny can be recognised by its colouration. The upper two thirds of the body is red-brown with two rows of white spots. The lower third is white. There is a white-edged red-brown stripe through the eyes extending to the rear of the operculum.

Distribution

It occurs in tropical marine waters of the Western Pacific. In Australia it is known from the northern Great Barrier Reef and the islands of the Coral Sea.

The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Click on the map for detailed information. Source: Atlas of Living Australia.

References

  1. Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
  2. Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.