Variable sabretooth blenny (Petroscirtes variabilis)

Scientific name: Petroscirtes variabilis Cantor, 1849

Variable sabretooth blenny (Petroscirtes variabilis)

The Variable sabretooth blenny (Petroscirtes variabilis) is a marine fish of the family Blenniidae. Native range: Indo-West Pacific, Sri Lanka to Fiji, north to southern Taiwan and the Yaeyama Islands, south to the southern Great Barrier Reef.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 10 - 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 16-19; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 16 - 19. Sexually dimorphic: males are orange-brown while females are sea-green dorsally and lighter below. Similar to P. breviceps in shape but has a blotched, rather than lined pattern on the body. Some color form are probably habitat related. The plain form is mainly green and has numerous tiny pearly spots and occurs in seagrass beds.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Petroscirtes variabilis
Family
Blenniidae (Combtooth blennies)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
15.0
Environment
Marine; demersal
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Indo-West Pacific: Sri Lanka to Fiji, north to southern Taiwan and the Yaeyama Islands, south to the southern Great Barrier Reef.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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