Redbelly Triplefin

This species is distinguished by the following characters: dark orbital cirrus, relatively broad, ending in a broad flat end or one to several shallow points; with 2-10 usually ctenoid scales on upper preopercle immediately behind eye, below sensory canal (in individuals over 1.8 cm SL); with a row of 4–9 intense dark, rounded spots along pored lateral-line, centered on dark body bars; the iris with six wide, red, spoke-like bands with much narrower interspaces (when live or fresh), spoke at 2 o’clock notably narrower than others; short snout with a broad dark band from orbit across front half of upper and lower jaws; the prominent dark bar curving from lower rim of orbit usually past corner of jaws and followed behind by a broad light bar, often with a central dark patch; dark dorsal head, preopercle and opercle; the rear body is bright red to red-orange, especially ventrally; anal fin is usually uniformly pigmented, but sometimes barred with reddish or dusky bands slanting forward from base; the caudal-peduncle dark bar is typically ovoid (wider at center with corners rounded) and usually narrower in width than height, ending at base of caudal-fin rays, followed on caudal fin by a narrow “accent” bar, red and/or dark, and then, after a narrow pale (white in life) band, a broad dark tail band often interrupted with a pale circle top and bottom (lower is larger), then a narrow pale (white in life) band at rear margin (Ref. 116142). Characters shared with Enneanectes quadra: D III+XII+7, with the first dorsal fin short, not reaching second-spine base of second dorsal fin (often barely reaching fin origin) when adpressed; A II,15; pectoral-fin rays 15; usually 13 pored lateral-line scales and about 19 or 20 scales in notched midline row; belly and pectoral-fin base scaled and with 2 scales above rear of pored lateral-line, upper scale much smaller [both characters of scaled-belly subgroup]; body bars 5 with last bar on caudal peduncle much darker; anterior orbital flange with fine spines (Ref. 116142).

Dorsal spines (total): 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7; Analspines: 2; Analsoft rays: 15

Adults live in and about coral reefs and rocky shores in clear water. (Ref. 7251). Eggs are hemispherical and covered with numerous sticky threads that anchor them in the algae on the nesting sites (Ref. 240). Larvae are planktonic which occur primarily in shallow, nearshore waters (Ref. 94114).

aquarium: commercial

Enneanectes jordani, known commonly as the redbelly triplefin and the mimic triplefin, is a species of triplefin blenny from the northern Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico south as far as Venezuela. The specific name honours the American ichthyologist David Starr Jordan (1851-1931). Some authorities consider the synonym Enneanectes pectoralis to be a valid species.