Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Perciformes
(Perch-likes) > Blenniidae
(Combtooth blennies) > Salariinae
Etymology: Istiblennius: Greek, istios = sail + Greek, blennios = mucus (Ref. 45335).
Environment / Climate / Range
Marine; brackish; reef-associated. Tropical, preferred ?
Western Pacific: Queensland to western Australia (Ref. 2334).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 15.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2334); 10.6 cm SL (female)
(total): 12 - 14;
soft rays: 17 - 21. Dorsal fin XII-XIV, 17-21; notched membrane between spinous and segmented-ray of the dorsal fin >75% the length of the first segmented ray; posterior membrane from posteriormost ray beginning somewhere between the dorsal edge of caudal peduncle, anterior to caudal-fin base, to dorsal margin of caudal fin <15% of caudal-fin length, typically on caudal peduncle, rarely posteriorly past the vertical at caudal-fin base; segmented anal fin rays 17-21; pectoral-fin rays 12-15; vertebrae 11 or 12+24 to 28 = 35-39 (usually 37 or 38); nape cirrus present or absent bilaterally or unilaterally, with slight variations between populations; orbital cirrus tree-like with medial and lateral branches; nasal cirri on rim of each anterior nostril short, palmate, with 2-8 branches (typically <6); bi-pored lateral-line tubes often more than 18; membrane from last dorsal-fin ray usually attached to caudal peduncle at or anterior to caudal-fin base; body with numerous small, pale spots; lateral line canal continuous antedorsally with simple pores (no vertical pairs of pores), extending posteriorly to point between verticals from 8th and 13th (rarely only to 8th) dorsal-fin spines, descending to midside and, in specimens >3 cm SL, continuing posteriorly as series of 6 to 26 short, disconnected, horizontally bi-pored canals/tubes in skin, numbering typically more than 10 and higher, proportional to SL; mandibular pores 4-6; lacking posterior canines; ventral margin of upper lip crenulate; no canine teeth present in lower jaw; both sexes with fleshy, blade-like crest on dorsal part of head; spinous- and segmented-ray portions of dorsal fin faintly to darkly dusky, often bearing dark, slender, oblique stripes (males) or dark spots (females). Largest male 11.8 cm SL; largest female 10.6 cm SL. With ophioblennius stage.
Adults occur along rocky and mangrove shores (Ref. 2334); in shallow depths and perhaps, under brackish or freshwater conditions (Ref. 9962). Oviparous. Eggs are demersal and adhesive (Ref. 205), and are attached to the substrate via a filamentous, adhesive pad or pedestal (Ref. 94114). Larvae are planktonic, often found in shallow, coastal waters (Ref. 94114).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Oviparous, distinct pairing (Ref. 205).
Springer, V.G. and J.T. Williams, 1994. The Indo-West Pacific blenniid fish genus Istiblennius reappraised: a revision of Istiblennius, Blenniella, and Paralticus, new genus. Smithson. Contrib. Zool. 565:1-193. (Ref. 9962)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 109396)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Threat to humans
Fisheries: of no interest
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805
= 0.5001 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00741 (0.00333 - 0.01648), b=3.00 (2.81 - 3.19), based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245
Trophic Level (Ref. 69278
): 2.0 ±0.00 se; Based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 69278
): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153
): Low to moderate vulnerability (26 of 100) .