Teleostei (teleosts) >
Blenniiformes (Blennies) >
Tripterygiidae (Triplefin blennies) > Tripterygiinae
Etymology: Enneapterygius: Greek, ennea = nine times + Greek, pterygion = little fin (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; depth range 2 - 22 m (Ref. 88983). Tropical
Western Indian Ocean: Red Sea.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 2.5 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 88983)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 15 - 17; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9 - 10; Anal spines: 1; Anal soft rays: 16 - 18. Diagnosis: Dorsal fins III + XII-XIV + 9-10; anal fin I, 16-18 (usually 17-18 rays); pectoral fin 14-15: 3-4 + 5 + 6. LL, pored scales10-12, notched scales 21-22, starting at 2 scale rows below the end of the pored series; transverse scales 1/4; nape with scales, abdomen scaleless, single row of scales at base of pectoral fin. Body moderately slender, depth 6.0-6.5 in SL. Dentary pores 2 + 2 + 2 ; head 3.2-4.0 (usually 3.6) in SL; eye 2.8-2.6 (usually 2.5) in head length; orbital margin serrated; supratemporal sensory canal crescent-shaped; supraorbital cirrus elongated flap, about the size of pupil; orbital cirrus bilobed and moderately long, about half the diameter of pupil; mouth low, cleft nearly horizontal, lower lips with prominent labial folds; head profile rounded. First dorsal fin about equal in height to second; pelvic-fin rays not membrane bound or may be united for half the length of the shorter ray. Key features are: live color translucent red; caudal peduncle with small, intense black spot on upper part; first dorsal fin anterior brownish, posterior with spots white (Ref. 57774, 88983).
Adults inhabit bays and lagoons, on vertical walls of seaward reefs, coral and rocky areas, 2-22 m (Ref. 88983). Eggs are hemispherical and covered with numerous sticky threads that anchor them in the algae on the nesting sites (Ref. 240). Larvae are planktonic which occur primarily in shallow, nearshore waters (Ref. 94114).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Holleman, W. and S.V. Bogorodsky, 2012. A review of the blennioid fish family Tripterygiidae (Perciformes) in the Red Sea, with description of Enneapterygius qirmiz, and reinstatement of Enneapterygius altipinnis Clark, 1980. Zootaxa 3152:36-60. (Ref. 88983)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Tools
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 26.9 - 29.3, mean 28.4 °C (based on 199 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00794 (0.00346 - 0.01822), b=3.08 (2.88 - 3.28), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.1 ±0.3 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
