| Family: |
Tripterygiidae (Triplefin blennies), subfamily: Tripterygiinae |
| Max. size: |
1.94 cm SL (male/unsexed) |
| Environment: |
reef-associated; marine; depth range 1 - 30 m |
| Distribution: |
Western Indian Ocean: currently known only from northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. |
| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal spines (total): 15-15; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-9; Anal spines: 1-1; Anal soft rays: 16-17. Dorsal fins III+XII+9; anal fin I,16-17 (usually 17 rays); pectoral fins 13, all rays simple; lateral
line with 12 pored scales and 21-22 notched scales, notched segment starting second scale row below end of pored segment, overlapping by one scale. Total lateral scales 32; transverse scales 1/4. Vertebrae 10+22. Mandibular pores 2+1/2+2. Head 3.2-3.5, body depth 5.1-5.3 in SL; eye 3.1-3.7 in head length; maxilla 2.6-2.9 in head length. Small fish, less than 20 mm SL. Body slender; scales large; nape scaled; belly with smaller, thin cycloid scales. Pelvic fins slender, rays united by a thin, fragile membrane for about one third length of shorter ray. First dorsal fin slightly higher than second, second 75-90% of body depth. Longest pectoral-fin ray reaches nearly to base of first ray of third dorsal fin. Supratemporal sensory
canal crescent-shaped. Mouth oblique, reaching vertical through anterior margin of pupil; interorbital concave and broad, about equal to pupil diameter; orbital cirrus a simple rounded flap and about half pupil diameter in length (Ref. 57774). |
| Biology: |
Collected from a flat reef (Ref. 57774). Female members of the Tripterygiidae have eggs that are hemispherical and covered with numerous sticky threads that anchor them in the algae on the nesting sites (Ref. 240). Larvae are planktonic which occur primarily in shallow, nearshore waters (Ref. 94114). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 03 May 2010 Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
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