TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-likes)
Family: Blenniidae (Combtooth blennies)

GENUS/SPECIES: Salarias fasciatus

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: The head has small, branched supraorbital and nuchal filamentous skin projections (cirri). The body is usually olive to brown with dark bars and a large number of round or elongated white spots of different sizes with several dusky bands.

Length up to about 12 cm (4.75 in).

Jeweled Blenny8748640285_1b56bb468a_o

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Tropical Indo-Pacific. Found in intertidal areas to a few meters in-depth on reef flats and in shallow lagoons and estuaries.

DIET IN THE WILD: Algae eaters; tend to be territorial about feeding areas.

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REPRODUCTION: Oviparous; form pairs and guard nests.

CONSERVATION: IUCN Not evaluated

REMARKS: Tends to hop from rock to rock looking for food. Its nickname “Lawnmower Blenny” comes from its prodigious and efficient algal consumption using comb-like teeth that line the jaws.

References

California Academy of Sciences Philippine coral reef 2016

fishbase www.fishbase.org/summary/6058

EOL  eol.org/pages/1004162/details

fishbase www.fishbase.org/summary/6058

Ron’s flickr  https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/8748640285/in/album-72157625992053826/

Ron’s WordPress Shortlink  http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-1gZ