Fringed Blenny

Mimoblennius cirrosus

HOLOTYPE.—USNM 204491 (adult male, 35.2 mm SL), Ethiopia, Sheikh el Abu, off lighthouse just west of south end of Harat Island, lat. 16°08′N, long. 39°26.5′E, depth to 4 meters, 14 August 1969, Victor G. Springer, E. Clark, and Z. Zelleke, VGS 69–14.

PARATYPES.—USNM 204645 (14, 21.8–37.0), taken with the holotype; HUI SLR-270d (4, 25.0–31.7), Israel, Ophir Bay, 29 August 1967; USNM 204563 (1, 23.9), northwest coast of Gulf of Aqaba, bay between Marsa Mokrakh and El Himeira, depth 0–3 meters, 15 July 1969, V. G. Springer, et al., VGS 69–1; USNM 204564 (1, 29.0), northwest coast Gulf of Aqaba, bay at El Himeira, depth to 18 meters, 16 July 1969, V. G. Springer, et al., VGS 69–2; USNM 204565 (2, 15.9–19.2), depth to 16 meters, 19 July 1969, V. G. Springer, et al., VGS 69–4; USNM 204566 (1, 23.0), depth 21.3 to 24.4 meters, 9 September 1969, V. G. Springer, et al., VGS 69–24; USNM 204569 (6, 26.1–32.5), Red Sea, Strait of Jubal, southern end of Sinai Peninsula at Ras Muhammad, depth to 9.2 meters, V. G. Springer, et al., VGS 69–28.

DESCRIPTION.—(Meristic characters for holotype in parentheses.) Dentary a closed capsule with replacement teeth entering functional series through foramina in bone. Canine on each dentary posteriorly. Premaxillary and dentary teeth immovable or nearly so; premaxillary teeth 30 to 34 (30); dentary teeth 24 to 30 (28). Vomerine teeth absent. Terminal vertebra with two epurals and autogenous hypural 5 and ventral hypural plate. Vertebrae 10 + 27 or 28 = 37 or 38 (38); epipleural ribs 13 to 16; last pleural rib on vertebra 10. Circumorbital bones 5.

Dorsal spines 12 or 13 (13); last spine noticeably reduced; segmented rays 17 to 19 (18); basal two-thirds of terminal dorsal ray bound by membrane to caudal peduncle; dorsal fin moderately incised between spinous and rayed portions. Anal spines 2; segmented rays 20 to 22 (21); basal two-thirds of terminal anal ray bound by membrane to caudal peduncle. Caudal fin with 13 segmented rays, middle 9 each branched; dorsal procurrent rays 5 to 8 (6); ventral procurrent rays 5 to 7 (6). Pelvic rays I, 3. Pectoral rays 14. Pectoral radial formula 2–0–2 (based on 1 cleared and stained specimen). Gill-rakers 10 to 12. Pseudobranchial filaments 5 or 6. Nuchal cirri palmate, with 3 or 4 broadly rounded lobes (best developed in large individuals); each supraorbital cirrus consisting of 1 to 6, typically 3 or more, well-defined cirri; nasal cirri present on both anterior and posterior nostrils, posterior cirri consisting of palmate flaps with 2 to 5 short branches and anterior cirri consisting of a short raised tube with 1 or 2 narrow elongate flaps on posterior margin. Upper and lower lip entire. Lateral line consisting of simple, short, separate, longitudinally bipored tubes that end beneath 4th to 6th dorsal spine.

PIGMENTATION.—Color pattern is extremely variable; most specimens, however, tend to exhibit a network of dusky melanophores surrounding a few irregular, pale spots on the head and numerous small, round, pale spots on the body. The pale spots in life are red, and on the body form numerous regular vertical bands. The diameters of the spots decrease gradually posteriorly on the body. The bandlike pattern is not always obvious in preserved specimens. Small specimens may appear to have the body covered with dusky spots while large specimens may have some flecklike dark spots on the sides, and a few specimens, including the holotype, have dusky spots on the ventral body contour paralleling the anal fin base. The ventral side of the head may bear an adumbration of a dusky transverse band or two bands separated by a pale area. The prepelvic area and adjacent ventral portion of the head may appear dusky or unmarked.

The dorsal fin may bear diffuse pale to dark dusky spots densely to loosely distributed over its surface. Some specimens exhibit a dark spot between the first two dorsal spines. The caudal and anal fins are similarly marked to the dorsal, but never have a distinct dark spot. The anal fin is frequently darker than the other fins. The pectoral fins bear fine melanophores along the lengths of the rays. The pelvic fins are unmarked.

ETYMOLOGY.—The Latin word cirrosus means bearing cirri.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION.—Frequency distributions for numbers of segmented dorsal and anal rays and caudal vertebrae were tabulated for specimens of Mimoblennius cirrosus and M. atrocinctus:

These data indicate that there are mean differences in number of segmented dorsal and anal rays between Israeli and Ethiopian specimens of M. cirrosus similar to those found between Israeli and Ethiopian specimens of Alloblennius pictus (q.v.). There is also a suggestion that differences exist between Hong Kong (South China Sea) and Indian Ocean specimens of M. atrocinctus, and that males tend to have higher meristic values than females. Springer (1967) reported differences between South China Sea and non-South China Sea populations of two species of Entomacrodus.

Nannosalarias, new genus

Undescribed genus (A) Springer, 1968b, p. 10.

DIAGNOSIS.—Dentary an open capsule with replacement teeth entering functional series through excavated area in jawbone. Anterior dentary canines absent; posterior dentary canines present. Premaxillary and dentary teeth fairly rigid, 76 to 80 in upper jaw and 42 to 52 in lower jaw. Vomer with small conical teeth. Dorsal rays XII, 15 or 16; anal rays II, 16 to 18; segmented caudal rays 13, middle 9 branched; pectoral rays 14 or 15 (usually 15); pelvic rays I, 3. Terminal anal ray bound by membrane to caudal peduncle. Lateral line not consisting of two overlapping disconnected portions; no scalelike flaps covering lateral-line pores. Preoperculomandibular pores without cirri. Middorsal supratemporal pores typically 3. Upper lip without free dorsal margin. No cup-shaped fleshy disk or appendage behind lower lip. Gill membranes free. Occipital crest absent. Nuchal, supraorbital, and nasal cirri simple. Postcleithra consisting of two elongate bones, head of ventral element overlapping ventral end of dorsal element. Lateral extrascapular not fused with pterotic. Median ethmoid ossified. Circumorbital bones 4. Type-species: Blennius nativitatus Regan.

Relationships are discussed under section titled “Recognition of Genera.”

Etymology: A combination of the Greek nannos, a dwarf (mature adults range from 22.5–34.8 mm SL), and Salarias, the type-genus of the Salariini.