Exerpes asper

Exerpes asper, the Sargassum blenny, is a species of labrisomid blenny native to the Gulf of California and the Pacific coast of Baja California. According to Fishbase it is currently the only known member of its genus,[3] however, the Catalog of Fishes classifies it within the genus Paraclinus.[2]

Exerpes asper
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Blenniiformes
Family: Labrisomidae
Genus: Exerpes
D. S. Jordan & Evermann, 1896
Species:
E. asper
Binomial name
Exerpes asper
Synonyms[2]
  • Auchenopterus asper O. P. Jenkins & Evermann, 1889
  • Paraclinus asper (O.P. Jenkins & Evermann 1889)

Description

The Sargassum blenny has two quite distinct dorsal fins. The face is elongated and the mouth resembles that of a pike. There are no cirri. The general colour is brown with patches of silver on the flanks and there are 2 blue eyespots on the posterior dorsal fin. This fish grows to a length of 6.5 centimetres (2.6 in) TL. [4]

Biology

The Sargassum blenny lives among sargassum seaweed or in seagrass meadows where it is well camouflaged. It is found among the fronds of floating Sargassum mats. When threatened it tends to curl its head round near its tail and remain motionless, relying on its cryptic appearance to escape detection.[4]

References
  1. Hastings, P.; Dominici-Arosemena, A. (2010). "Exerpes asper". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T183764A8172465. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T183764A8172465.en.
  2. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Auchenopterus asper". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  3. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). "Exerpes asper" in FishBase. October 2013 version.
  4. Thomson, Donald A.; Lloyd T. Findley; Alex N. Kerstitch (2000). Reef fishes of the Sea of Cortez. p. 216. ISBN 9780292781559.
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