Spottedback Coralblenny

Description: Dorsal fin XII.13-15, with deep notch between spinous and ray portions; anal fin II,14-16 (usually 15); pectoral rays 11-14 (11 and 14 from few specimens but only unilaterally; usually 13); pelvic fin I, 3; caudal-fin segmented rays 13. Body depth at anal-fin origin 4.7-5.7 in SL. Vertebrae 10 + 20-22; incisors and anterior canine teeth look very similar, 47-58; posterior canines 1 on each side. Lateral line without pores, ends below 10th dorsal spine 10 to 1st segmented ray. Anterior nostril with cirrus present only on posterior rim. Overall olive brown, nape with transverse pair of dark spots, body with series of 7-11 blackish ocelli (in pairs with distinct margin), and scattered smaller white spots streaks; caudal peduncle with series of squarish spots. Eyes brown but bright white on lower portion, and with narrow yellow ring around the pupil and yellow streaks on iris. Dark stripe from eyes to posterior edge of operculum. Operculum and lower cheek margin black. Spinous-dorsal fin with suprabasal stripe, fine and dusky. Venter sprinkled with pigments in mature males only, otherwise unpigmented (Ref. 5296, 90102).

Oviparous, distinct pairing (Ref. 205).

Dorsal spines (total): 12; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12 - 14; Analspines: 2; Analsoft rays: 14 - 16

Adults occur in coastal reefs (Ref. 90102). Oviparous. Eggs are demersal and adhesive (Ref. 205), and are attached to the substrate via a filamentous, adhesive pad or pedestal (Ref. 94114). Larvae are planktonic, often found in shallow, coastal waters (Ref. 94114). Minimum depth from Ref. 58018.

Ecsenius paroculus

Ecsenius (Ecsenius) oculus.—Springer, 1971:35 [paratypes, in part: Goh Huyong, Similan Island, Thailand; Pulo Jarak, Strait of Malacca, Indonesia; Pulo Mega, Mentawei Islands, Indonesia].

Ecsenius oculus.—McKinney and Springer, 1976:12 [Type B; same localities as above and Seribu Islands, Indonesia].

DESCRIPTION.—Dorsal fin XII,12–14 (rarely 12), deeply notched between spinous and segmented ray portions. Anal fin II,14–16 (usually 15). Pectoral fin 13 (11 or 14, unilaterally, in 2 of 30 specimens). Segmented caudal-fin rays 13. Vertebrae 10 + 20–22 (rarely 20). Dentary incisor teeth 47–58 (includes anterior canine teeth, which differ little, if at all, in appearance from incisors); posterior canines 1 on each side. Lateral line without vertical pairs of pores, terminating posteriorly at point between verticals from dorsal-fin spine 10 and first segmented ray (rarely anterior to spine 11). Cirrus present on posterior rim of anterior nostril; none on anterior rim.

Preserved Color: Important features include: Transverse pair of dark spots present dorsally on nape. Dark stripe extending from postorbital margin across opercle dorsally, often continuing on body anteriorly or becoming interrupted on body and appearing as dark, oblong, ocellus anteroventrally offset from next ocellus posteriorly; no deep, short, dark, stripe present just ventral to opercular portion of postorbital stripe. Dusky pigment ventroanterior to corners of mouth not blackish or remarkable. Side of body with 7–11 (modally 8–10) dark, ocelli, usually arranged in pairs; pale margin of each ocellus usually distinct, not coalesced with that of its fellow. Distance between midline of body side (in area below segmented dorsal-fin rays) and ventral edge of dark portion of each ocellus equal to or greater than distance between dorsal edge of dark portion and dorsal body contour. Dark, saddle-like spot at posteriormost end of dorsal fin often ocellus-like in appearance (difficulty in counting ocelli is most often encountered when deciding whether to include posteriormost “ocellus” and/or disconnected, ocellus-like portion of postorbital stripe in count). Conspicuous, smaller dark spots or ocelli not present on dorsal body contour dorsal to body ocelli. Venter of large or sexually mature males sprinkled with fine melanophores; venter of females and immature males unpigmented. Spinous dorsal fin with fine, dusky, suprabasal stripe.

Live Color (Plate 7: figure 2): A specimen photographed in the wild at Similan Island, Andaman Sea, was generally tinted various tones of brown; postocular stripe, opercle margin, dorsal body ocelli, and abdomen laterally, dark brown; other markings paler; body with pale-white spots, brightest of which are anteriorly on body above pectoral-fin base, ventrally on pectoral-fin base, and midlaterally on caudal peduncle; snout suffused with pink; iris pale ventrally, dark brown dorsally with pale spots included; yellow ring around pupil.

DISTRIBUTION.—Known from the west coast of Thailand, Malacca Strait, Mentawai (= Mentawei) Islands (off NW Sumatra), and Seribu Islands and Bawean Island, off NW and N central Java, respectively.

COMPARISONS.—Ecsenius paroculus appears to be most closely related to E. oculatus, from which it differs primarily in having about three more ocelli on the side of the body. Although these two species overlap in the number of ocelli present, only minimal overlap is exhibited by the populations on either side of the narrow geographic gap that separates their distributions (compare Figure 9 with Table 18). Ecsenius paroculus, E. oculatus, and E. sellifer are the only species of the Oculus Group that have a transverse pair of dark spots on the nape. Ecsenius sellifer differs from the other two species in having dark saddle-like markings on the dorsal body contour and lacking pale-margined dark spots on the body proper. The shared presence of nape spots in these three species might be evidence of common ancestry, and if so, my proposed sister-group relationship (see Oculus Group account) between E. oculatus and E. paroculus, on the one hand, and E. oculus, on the other, would be incorrect. My subjective opinion is that the nape spots are either synapomorphic for the Oculus Group or homoplasious in E. sellifer.

ETYMOLOGY.—Named paroculus from the Latin “par,” meaning “near,” plus oculus, in reference to the superficial similarity of its color pattern to that of E. oculus.

HOLOTYPE.—USNM 260389 (previously a paratype of E. oculus), male, 31 mm SL, live reef off NW side Pulau Tikus, Pulau Pari Group, Pulau Seribu, Indonesia (~05°51′25″S, ~106°34′15″E), depth to 4.6 m, V.G. Springer et al., 5 April 1974.

PARATYPES.—USNM 211995 (19 specimens: 14–34 mm SL, previously paratypes of E. oculus), collected with holotype; USNM 201811 (4:26–32, previously paratypes of E. oculus), Goh Huyong, Similan Island, Thailand; USNM 259240 (4: 32–37), Laem Sai off Kata Beach, Phuket Island, Thailand; USNM 211975 (86:13–38), first bay west of Sangkapura, Bawean Island, Indonesia; USNM 201522 (3:32–40, previously paratypes of E. oculus), Pulo Mega, Mentawei [= Mentawai] Islands, Indonesia; USNM 201560 (2: both 30, previously paratypes of E. oculus), Pulo Jarak, Strait of Malacca, Maylasia.

Ecsenius paroculus, the spottedback coralblenny, is a species of combtooth blenny in the genus Ecsenius. It is found in coral reefs in the western Pacific ocean. It can reach a maximum length of 4 centimetres. Blennies in this species feed primarily off of plants, including benthic algae and weeds.