Combtooth Blenny Family – Blenniidae

There are currently TWELVE members of the Combtooth Blenny or Blennidae Family, four from the Atlantic Ocean and eight from the Pacific Ocean,  presented in this website:

FROM THE ATLANTIC (4):

FROM THE PACIFIC (8):

The Combtooth Blennies or Blenniidae Family are known in Mexico’s fishing areas as borrachos. They are found in the tropical and subtropical marine waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. The family has three hundred ninety-eight individual species that have been placed in fifty-eight genera, of which eighteen are found in Mexican waters, twelve in the Atlantic and six in the Pacific Ocean.

The Combtooth Blennies have slender elongated bodies with the largest being 54 cm (21 inches) in length; most, however, are less than 15.0 cm (5.9 inches). They are named for their single row of comb-like, slender, and close-set teeth. The Sabertooth Blennies, also members of this family, have canine teeth as well. The Combtooth Blennies exhibit a wide variety of uniform colors as well as spots, stripes, or bands, with some species exhibiting 2 or 3 color patterns for courting and mating. Cryptic coloring is widespread. Their heads have a steep forehead with a blunt snout, broad lips, and eyes set high on the head, and are typically adorned with prominent tentacles or cirri with a small mouth than opens ventrally that is not protractile. Their anal fin has an elongated base with 2 spines; their dorsal fins also have elongated bases with 3 to 17 spines and 9 to 119 rays; their pectoral fins have 1 spine and 2 to 4 rays; and their pelvic fins are anterior of the pectoral fins with 1 short embedded spine and 2 to 4 rays. Their skin is smooth and they do not have scales.

The Combtooth Blennies are primarily demersal species found in shallow coastal rocky intertidal areas, coral reefs, mangroves, oyster beds, and in brackish waters of rivers that empty into the sea. The Sabertooth Blennies are, however, free-swimming. They feed on benthic organisms including algae and invertebrates with some being planktivores. Many Combtooth Blennies are sexual dimorphic with males being larger than females and some males having larger heads than females. They also vary in body color with males being brighter colored and changing colors during breeding season. The cirri on their head are different and their anal spines can take different forms in male and females. Males are highly territorial and will defend their habitat against intruders many times their size. Reproduction occurs year-round and is oviparous with females being attracted by males. They lay their eggs in small holes or crevices within tidal pool reef structure where they are guarded by the males or both parents. The eggs are demersal and attach themselves to the substrate. The larvae are planktonic. Young fish are pelagic and look very different from their parents; they are then required to fend for themselves. Each male will mate with several females.

The Combtooth Blennies have a secretive lifestyle hiding in crevices and holes in the bottom of inshore waters. In general, they are poorly studied and very little is known about their behavioral patterns. They are however very conspicuous within the shallow water reef community having interesting traits including mimicry and the ability to hop over terrestrial rocks (rock hoppers) from pool to pool as a defense strategy. They also can change color to blend into their surroundings. There is currently very limited information available about the lifespans of these blenniids. They date to the upper Tertiary and upper Miocene Periods, approximately 5 million years ago.

The Combtooth Blennies are too small to be of interest to most. They are a by-catch caught in fish and lobster traps and in coastal trawls. A few of these Blennies are used by the aquarium trade but only on a limited basis.