Teleostei (teleosts) >
Blenniiformes (Blennies) >
Tripterygiidae (Triplefin blennies) > Tripterygiinae
Etymology: Bellapiscis: Latin, bellum = war + Latin, piscis = fish.
More on author: Günther.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; non-migratory; depth range 0 - 5 m (Ref. 9003). Temperate
Southwest Pacific: endemic to New Zealand.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 7.5 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9003)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Facultative air-breathing (Ref. 126274); Adults occur in rock pools and surge zones. They may remain out of water under rocks or seaweed (Ref. 31184). They feed on mollusks and minute crustaceans, including barnacles. This agile species eludes predators by alternately remaining motionless, then rapidly darting to a new location. Feeding occurs even in the swash zone where the fish rapidly darts with the surge and clinging to the rock as the water recedes, often being left exposed on the damp open rock (Ref. 26966). 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). They breathe air when out of water (Ref. 31184).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae
Eggs are deposited over the undersurface of a rock where they are fertilized and guarded by the male (Ref. 9003).
Fricke, R., 1994. Tripterygiid fishes of Australia, New Zealand and the southwest Pacific Ocean (Teleostei). Theses Zool. 24:1-585. (Ref. 13227)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Tools
Special reports
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 12.8 - 18.7, mean 16.1 °C (based on 114 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.7500 [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): 3.5 ±0.4 se; based on diet studies.
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).
