Panamic Fanged Blenny, Ophioblennius steindachneri

Panamic Fanged Blenny, Ophioblennius steindachneri, Juveniles Underwater photographs taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, February 2019 and March 2023. Photographs courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuantanejo.

Panamic Fanged Blenny, Ophioblennius steindachneri, Juvenile, Transitioning Juvenile, Young Adult, and Mature Adult. Each collected from tidal pools in the greater Los Cabos area, February 2004 through May 2014. Length: 6.0 cm (2.4 inches) to 9.0 cm (3.5 inches). Identifications confirmed by H.J. Walker, Jr., Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California.

Panamic Fanged Blenny, Ophioblennius steindachneri. Underwater photograph taken in coastal waters of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, May 2018. Photograph courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

Panamic Fanged Blenny, Ophioblennius steindachneri. Underwater photograph taken in coastal waters of the greater San Diego area, San Diego, California, September 2020. Photograph courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

Panamic Fanged Blenny, Ophioblennius steindachneri. Underwater photographs taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, March 2018. Photographs courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuantanejo.

Panamic Fanged Blenny, Ophioblennius steindachneri. Underwater photographs taken in coastal waters off Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, September 2021. Photographs courtesy of Kevin Erwin, Seattle, Washington.

Panamic Fanged Blenny, Ophioblennius steindachneri. Underwater photograph taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, March 2018. Photograph and identification courtesy of Maude Jette, Dive Zihuantanejo,   www.Divezihuantanejo.com.

The Panamic Fanged Blenny, Ophioblennius steindachneri, is a member of the Combtooth Blennies or Blennidae Family, that is also known as the Horseface Blenny and the Large-banded Blenny and in Mexico as borracho mono. Globally, there are five species in the genus Ophioblennius, of which two are found in Mexican waters, one in the Atlantic and one, this species, in the Pacific Ocean.

The Panamic Fanged Blenny has an elongated compressed cylindrical body and is the largest Combtooth Blenny found in Mexican waters. They are named for the pair of large canines found far back on their lower jaw which are used for defense. They are dark brown with yellowish bars on their head and anterior portion of their body. They have a prominent large black spot with a whitish margin high on their head behind the eyes and a white area on the belly under the head. Juveniles are translucent with a prominent black bar across the base of their caudal fin and red caudal and pectoral fins. They have a short head with a very steep profile (absent in juveniles), disproportionately large eyes, and a small non-protrusible mouth that opens in the front and is equipped with one row of comb-like teeth on each jaw and a pair of canines on the lower jaw. They have slender and unbranched cirri above their eyes, on their nape, and on the posterior edge of their anterior nostril. Their anal fin has a long base with 2 spines and 22 to 24 rays; their caudal fin is rounded; and, their dorsal fin has a long base with 11 to 13 spines and 21 to 23 rays without a notch in between. Their skin is smooth and without scales and their lateral line is divided into 2 independent overlapping segments.

The Panamic Fanged Blenny is a non-migratory coastal species found in intertidal and sub-tidal rocky areas at depths up to 24 m (60 feet). They reach a maximum of 17.8 cm (7.0 inches) in length. They prefer the surge zone of unprotected rocks with steep slopes and have the ability to wedge themselves in crevices close to shore in shallow waters. They are highly territorial and will vigorously defend their habitat against intruders. They are diurnal and feed on algae and sessile crustaceans. Reproduction is oviparous in distinct pairs with the females depositing eggs in protected areas. The eggs are sticky and adhere to the walls of the shelter; they are then fertilized by the males who guard them for 2 to 3 weeks until they hatch. They are the most abundant Combtooth Blenny along rocky shorelines in the tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean. They Panamic Fanged Blenny is a small shallow-water species that is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Panamic Fanged Blenny is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean  with the exception that they are absent from Guerrero Negro, Baja California, northward along the central and northwest coasts of Baja.

The Panamic Fanged Blenny is a fairly easy species to identify due to its uniform body color, steep head profile, and black spot behind the eyes. The possible exception is the Notchfin Blenny, Entomacrodus chiostictus (deeply notched dorsal fin with mottled coloration).

From a conservation perspective the Panamic Fanged Blenny is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are too small to be of interest to most however, they are used on a limited basis by the aquarium trade.