Ecsenius stictus
Smallspotted Combtooth Blenny | Great Barrier Reef Blenny
Similar Species
Same Genus
Distribution
Tropical Indo-Pacific
Description
Semi-translucent grey body, pale orange eyes, black ‘chinstrap’, dark V-shaped mark on pectoral fin base, faint spots and dashes in rows along body, and fine black spots scattered on rear half of body. Also has a darker colour form with a more heavily patterned body, black spots on rear of body are still present though. Similar E. yaeyamensis (Palespotted Combtooth Blenny) has larger white spots instead of fine black and has more distinct black dashes behind eye. Only found on the Great Barrier Reef and in the Coral Sea.
Information
Max Size: 6 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 23.6-30.4°C
Depth: 1-20m
Habitat Generalization Index: 14.63
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Not Evaluated
Occurrence: Common (32.9% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Several (5 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: Joe Shields