BLENNIIDAE


Istiblennius edentulus, 11.7 cm SL
(male; photo by Ukkrit Satapoomin)


Istiblennius edentulus
(Forster and Schneider, 1801)
Rippled Rockskipper

D XII-XIV, 18-23; A II, 20-24; P1 13-14.

Body elongate. Nape with a moderately long cirrus on each side. Supraorbital tentacle usually a long simple filament. Single blade-like occipital crest present in adult males. Nasal with 3 cirri. Canine teeth absent on dentary. Several caudal-fin rays branched. Lateral line without vertical pairs of pores, ending below last dorsal spine and 15th soft ray. Color: body pale grayish with dark gray double bars extending basally into dorsal fin; irregular orangish lines in pale interspaces on posterior half of body; a pale-edged gray bar from eye across upper lip; an oblique, pale-edged gray band behind eye; posterior body and dorsal and anal fins with orangish brown spots in females. Size: attaining to 17 cm. Distribution: widespread in Indo-Pacific, but no records from Hawaiian Islands. Remarks: typically found along the edge of rocky shores where wave action is not severe. (Hisashi Imamura)