Malacoctenus margaritae
Margarita blenny
Distribution
Tropical Eastern Pacific
Description
Females with olive to grey-brown back, and a pale lower body. Three black spots along mid line on rear of body with one on tail base, and a series of indistinct U-shaped markings on back with white blotches along base of dorsal fin. Usually found among coral rubble. Similar M. mexicanus (Mexican Blenny) has less distinct markings.
Information
Max Size: 7 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 25.5-30.3°C
Depth: 1-21m
Habitat Generalization Index: N/A
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: Least Concern
Occurrence: Common (21.2% 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: Few (3 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: Joe Shields