THE STEINHART AQUARIUM - Gulf of Guinea Science ...

Fish Families 11
Wrasses are most easily identified by their pointed snouts and prominent canine teeth that protrude
in front of the jaw. Other common characteristics include their form of propulsion, which depends
mostly on the winglike motion of the pectoral fins with only an occasional burst of speed provided by
the caudal fin. Typically diurnal, many wrasses bury themselves in sand or seek crevices at night.
Size, shape, and color are quite diverse as are habitat, diet, and reproductive strategy. Males,
females, and juveniles often sport different colors and shapes, adding to the challenge of
identifying a given species. Food preferences vary, depending on species, from fish, mollusks,
worms, corals, echinoderms, plankton, vegetation and other choices in between. Some, such as the
cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus, are famous for their habit of removing mucus, parasites, and
scales from larger fishes.
Like a number of other fish families, many species of wrasses may change sex with age. In some
species, males may be primary (the initial sex) or secondary (females that have undergone sex change).
In others, such as the cleaner wrasse, all individuals are born female and some change sex as necessary.
BLENNIIDAE (BLENNIES)
53 genera 345 species
Blennies are found worldwide in tropical, subtropical, and temperate seas. Blennies are bottom
dwellers with blunt heads and long anal fins. They often possess cirri, branching appendages on
the head. Most have small comblike teeth for feeding on algae, but some steal bites of fins, scales,
or skin from other fish. Most lay adhesive demersal eggs that are often guarded by the male.
Because of their small size and elongate bodies, blennies and gobies are often confused with one
another; however blennies are distinguished by their single, long continuous dorsal fin, their
pelvic fins situated in front of their pectorals, and their habit of resting on the bottom with curved
bodies. Gobies have two-part dorsal fins and rest with straight bodies.
GOBIIDAE (GOBIES)
212 genera 1,875 species
Members of a huge family, gobies are found in salt, brackish, and fresh waters, mostly in the tropic
and subtropics, but are well represented in temperate waters as well. They are typically found in
shallow coastal areas and around coral reefs. The Gobiidae has more marine species (probably
more than 2,000) than any other fish family.
Gobies are small, usually less than 10 cm (4 in). They have distinctive two-part dorsal fins, and
the pelvic fins are fused together to form an adhesive disk used to maintain purchase on the
substrate in strong currents. Most species possess two separate dorsal fins; lateral line is absent.
Like bottom-dwelling blennies, gobies lack a swim bladder. Most are carnivores on benthic
invertebrates; some feed on plankton.
Though reproductive variations are numerous, gobies typically spawn over a nest prepared by the
male, who clears a small area where eggs are deposited and subsequently guards the eggs.