Combtooth Blenny (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Combtooth blennies are blennioids; perciform marine fish of the family Blenniidae. They are the largest family of blennies, with approximately 371 species in 53 genera represented. Combtooth blennies are found in tropical and subtropical waters in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans; some species are also found in brackish and even freshwater environments. The body plan of the combtooth blennies is archetypal to all other blennioids; their blunt heads and eyes are large, with large continuous dorsal fins (which may have 3-17 spines). Their bodies are compressed, elongate and scaleless; the small, slender pelvic fins (which are absent in only two species) are situated before the enlarged pectoral fins, and the tail fin is rounded. As their name would suggest, combtooth blennies are noted for their comb-like teeth lining their jaws. By far the largest species is the eel-like hairtail blenny at 53 centimetres in length; most other members of the family are much smaller. Combtooth blennies are active and often highly colourful, making them popular in the aquarium hobby.