Identification:
A small to medium-sized blenny, elongate small fish of a large family
of fishes that live in rocky areas in shallow water. All true blennies
have a continuous dorsal fin; the first dorsal fins spiny and the remainder
soft. The pectoral fins are relatively large. The pelvic fin is in a jugular
position.
Distinguished by the absence of tentacles/lappets over the eye. Usually
green with black mottling, adults may be grey with black. Males in breeding
livery go all black with a white mouth and an attractive pale blue fringe
to the long dorsal fin.
If the small green blenny has blue spots and a lappet over the eye
it is the similar but rarer Coryphoblennius galerita.
Similar species: Coryphoblennius galerita;
Parablennius
gattorugine (Tompot Blenny).
The presence or absence of the eye tentacles are definitive. See link.
Paralipophrys
trigloides (southern species: Fishbase entry)
Blenny
from Malta (identified as Paralipophrys trigloides)
Paralipophrys
trigloides (link)
Breeding:
Spring, in very shallow water, sometimes intertidal.
In Sussex, intertidal breeding occurs, but I
expect it also occurs offshore, because of the abundance ofthe young on
the shore in summer.
Breeding
Congregation (Link to a Photograph)
Breeding Report:
The male in breeding livery goes dark , almost
black, with white lips.
I have a tank in which I have a blenny that has
laid eggs. A blenny laid eggs on the side of the tank A month or two ago
but despite my attempts I was unable to stop the wrasse in my tank eating
them, in fact it was their jaw noise that alerted me to the eggs.
I now have on both sides of rock (an overhang)
a patch of eggs that is about 2 inches square completely covered in eggs.
It is nearly impossible for the wrasse to get these. I also have two blennies
which appear to be laying over the eggs like a bird does over its eggs.
Sometimes there is the one, a blenny which appears to have gone very black
and a lighter one replaces it every so often . What can I expect , anything?
, What can I do to help? Do blennies lay eggs and then one of them has
to fertilise the eggs once laid?
Andy Byres
With a bit of luck you should have hundreds, possibly
thousands of Blenny fry in a week or two. I made a 25% water change prior
to the eggs hatching and I was suprised at the numbers of fry because it
did not realise they had laid eggs. The water change may have helped the
eggs to hatch, or they may have hatched anyway. I don't know. The Blennies
bred the following year. I have never been able to get any other Blennies
to breed. Getting a pair maybe the reason and Blennies that have been grown
to full size in aquaria do not seem to be so keen. The darker male Blenny
guards the eggs and the lighter one is the female.
Andy Horton
My observations of the Common Blenny of the NE Atlantic,
indicate that hatching can be provoked by making a large water change corresponding
to physical pressure on the eggs, perhaps corresponding to wave action
as this small fish breeds intertidally and in shallow water.
Habitat:
Rocky areas below low water mark, intertidal (mid-shore and below)
from spring to autumn*, under rocks, in crevices and rock pools, especially
the juveniles. This fish habitually leaves oxygen-deficient pools and can
be seen basking on rocks and completely out of the water at low tide.
(* in the south-west this fish can be found on the shore during the winter).
Gregarious, but there have beeen reports of serious fighting in aquaria.
Food: Small invertebrates including
acorn barnacles, molluscs especially the Grey Topshell,
Gibbula
cineraria.
Range:
All British coasts. Not much further afield though. This is a true representative
of the British fauna. The prevalence of this fish on north-eastern coasts
and north Scotland is not known and any information , including absences,
would be of interest.
It is absent (or very rare) at the Swedish coast,
but is present in Norway, a distribution common to many intertidal organisms
- there's virtually no tide at the Swedish coast. It is reportedly found
in western Norway from Egersund to Sogn. I am fairly sure I saw several
at Bergen.
Michael
Norén, Doctoral student.
Southern distribution under enquiry (see Wet
Thumb messages.)
Replaced by Paralipophrys
trigloides in the Mediterranean.
Behaviour:
Enemies:
Larger fish including Bullheads
and Bass.
Sea Birds.
Additional Notes:
A common fish familiar to rockpoolers.
This fish should NOT be collected for live bait because of it lays a small
number of eggs would be vulnerable to exploitation, because the large fish
on the shore are breeding, with the males guarding the eggs and the females
ovigerous. (Males will attack any intruders and bite fingers). Furthermore,
collection would spoil to enjoyment of a rocky shore for rockpoolers and
other visitors. As a bait it is inferior to live prawn.
Reports:
My daughter (aged 5) caught 6 of these off Lyme
Regis Cobb with her crab line using squid bait on July 27 at 16:00
approx.
There were plenty of them and were easily identified
- completely spine free and soft.
I found a fish in a rockpool at Lundy Bay near Polzeath
in North Cornwall last week (August 2001). I did not know what it was until
I identified it on your website.
It was 8 cm long (approx) and went under the
seaweed. Daniel
Carlier (aged 10)
.
Issac
Livesey with a Blenny caught at Brixham, Devon, in July 2002
15 August 2002
The Blenny has grown to 13 cm (excluding its tail fin) in my aquarium.
AH
3 October 2003
I wish I kept more accurate notes of capture
notes, but it appear that the Blenny, Lipophrys pholis, lives for
four or five years in captivity and dies of old age at a length of 155
mm, excluding the tail fin. With the caudal fin the length is 177 mm (7
inches). However, this appears to be the male fish. the females are still
living.It could have died for another reason. AH.
4 February 2004
A Blenny has died in my aquarium at the maximum
local length of 15.5 cm (excluding the 22 mm caudal fin). They appear to
live 5 or 6 years in captivity. It is the same one or same group as the
above. AH
20 February 2005
My son and I were rockpooling in Bangor on the shores of Belfast Lough,
and in the space of two hours we found in the region of forty Common
Blennies . Most of the Blennies were found under large
rocks about 10 metres from the low water mark. They ranged in size from
approx. 2 cm. to 10 cm. and presumably because they were mating we found
up to 11 under one rock.
Miscellaneous:
In medieval times, this fish, known as a Sea Frog, was used as one
of the ingredients, with eggs, in hair shampoo, in Italy (related species)
and France. (Source: researcher into medieval recipes.)
blenny
| bleni | n. M18. [f. L blennius f. Gk blennos slime
(with ref. to the mucous coating of the scales).] Any of various small
spiny-finned marine fishes belonging to the Blenniidae or a related family,
most of which are bottom-dwelling fishes of intertidal and shallow inshore
waters.
BUTTERFLY
blenny. smooth blenny: see SMOOTH a. & adv. viviparous blenny: see
VIVIPAROUS 1.
---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted
from The Oxford Interactive Encyclopedia
Developed
by The Learning Company, Inc. Copyright (c) 1997 TLC Properties Inc.
Information wanted: Please send any records of this fish, with
location, date, who discovered it, how it was identified, prevalence, common
name and any other details to Shorewatch
Project EMail Glaucus@hotmail.com.
Shorewatch Reports
Blennies were especially numerous in May 2000 at Kingston
Beach, Shoreham.
All messages will receive a reply.
Link:
All Species of Blennies from around Britain
Differences between Blennies &
Gobies
|
