BLENNIIDAE


Istiblennius lineatus, 10.0 cm SL
(male; from Okinawa Pref., Japan; photo by Tetsuo Yoshino)


Istiblennius lineatus
(Valenciennes, 1836)
Lined Rockskipper

D XII-XIV, 21-25; A II, 22-25; P1 13-15.

Body elongate. Nape lacking cirri. Supraorbital tentacle usually a triangular filament with short medial and lateral branches in adults. Single large, blade-like occipital crest present in adult males. Nasal cirri short and palmate. Canine teeth absent on dentary. Several caudal-fin rays branched. Lateral line without vertical pairs of pores, ending below space between 6th dorsal spine and 5th soft ray. Color: body pale brown with several longitudinal, dark brown lines; head crossed with vertical, irregular, orangish brown lines. Size: attaining to 14 cm. Distribution: widespread in Indo-Pacific, including Maldive Islands, southern Japan and Tuamotu Archipelago. Remarks: found in rocky shores of coral reefs and tidepools. (Hisashi Imamura)