Smooth-eye blenny facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Smooth-eye blenny |
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Blenniiformes |
| Family: | Labrisomidae |
| Genus: | Starksia |
| Species: |
S. atlantica
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| Binomial name | |
| Starksia atlantica Longley, 1934
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The smooth-eye blenny (scientific name: Starksia atlantica) is a small fish that lives in the ocean. It's a type of blenny, which is a family of fish often found near the seabed. You can find this blenny in the western part of the central Atlantic Ocean and around the Caribbean Sea. It likes to live in coral reefs about 8 meters (26 feet) deep.
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What Does the Smooth-Eye Blenny Look Like?
Adult Blennies
Adult smooth-eye blennies are quite small. They usually grow to about 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) long. They have a long, thin body shape. A single, short fin runs along most of their back. This is called the dorsal fin.
Their color can change, but they are often mottled brown. This means they have patches of brown on a silvery background. They also have larger dark spots on their upper body. Their fins have special supports called rays. The dorsal fin has 18 to 19 rays. The fin on their belly (anal fin) has 7 to 8 rays. The fins near their front (pelvic fins) have 15 to 16 rays. The fins on their sides (pectoral fins) have 14 rays.
Young Blennies (Juveniles)
When smooth-eye blennies are very young, they look a bit different. They are long and narrow, with big eyes. Their mouth is at the very tip of their pointed snout. Both their back fin (dorsal fin) and their belly fin (anal fin) run almost the entire length of their body.
Their side fins (pectoral fins) are long. Their pelvic fins, which are underneath, have two spiny parts. These fins are also long and look like threads. Young blennies have very few dark spots. These spots are mostly found at the base of their anal fin rays.
Where Do Smooth-Eye Blennies Live?
Smooth-eye blennies live in different areas, and fish from these areas can be slightly different. Scientists have found five main groups of these blennies. These groups live in places like Barbados, Panama, Curaçao, and the Bahamas. Some groups, like those in Curaçao, Saba Bank, and the Bahamas, do not have a small, feathery growth above their eyes called an orbital cirrus.
