Common name: Muzzled blenny

Synonyms and Other Names: Original combination: Blennechis punctatus; Poroalticus sewalli

Taxonomy: available through www.itis.gov

Identification: An inconspicuous and dull-coloured blenny with no cirri or crest on the head. It has horizontal stripes that are more prevalent in males than females. It is distinguished from other blennies by the small gill openings that are restricted to the sides of the head above the dorsal-most level of the pectoral fin base (Gerhardinger et al. 2006).

Size: 17-95 mm (Springer and Gomon 1975)

Native Range: Common from the Persian Gulf to Japan and eastern Australia (Springer and Gomon 1975).

Interactive maps: Point Distribution Maps

Ecology: Found in shallow, marine, and brackish waters near shore, river mouths, mangroves, tide pools, sparse corals, and sargassum (Springer and Gomon 1975). Omobranchus is a cryptic species inhabiting and spawning in crevices. These habits in conjunction with their wide range of salinity tolerance aid in invasion and dispersion success (Soares et al. 2011).

Means of Introduction: In Trinidad, ballast from slave ships in the early 19th century from India (Springer and Gomon 1975). Panama populations most likely arrived via ballast from Trinidad discharged before ships entered the Panama canal (Springer and Gomon 1975). It is a benthic species that could be transported via hull fouling, ballast water (Contente et al. 2015), or by hitch-hiking on oil and gas platforms.

Status: Established in Trinidad, Atlantic coast of Panama (no evidence of species occurrence on the Pacific side to date), Venezuela, and Brazil (Gerhardinger et al. 2006, Lasso-Alcala et al. 2011, Soares et al. 2011). No reports from the USA as of 2018.

Impact of Introduction: Could potentially compete with native fishes for food and space (Soares et al. 2011)

References: (click for full references)

Contente, R.F., Brenha-Nunes, M.R., Siliprandi, C.C., Lamas. R.A., and V.R.M. Conversani. 2015. Occurrence of the non-indigenous Omobranchus punstats (Blenniidae) in the Sao Paulo coast, South-Eastern Brazil. Marine Biodiversity Records 8:4. 10.1017/S175526721500055X.

Gerhardinger, L.C., Freitas, M.O., Andrade, A.B., and Rangel, C.A. 2006. Omobranchus punctatus (Teleostei: Blenniidae), an exotic blenny in the Southwestern Atlantic. Biological Invasions 8: 941–946.

Golani, D. 2001. First record of the muzzled blenny (Osteichthyes: Blenniidae: Omobranchus punctatus) from the Mediterranean, with remarks on ship-mediated fish introduction. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the U.K. 84: 851-852.

Lasso-Alcalá, O., Nunes, J.L.S., Lasso, C., Posada, J., Robertson, R., Piorski, N.M., Van Tassell, J., Giarrizzo, T. and Gondolo, G. 2011. Invasion of the Indo-Pacific blenny Omobranchus punctatus (Perciformes: Blenniidae) on the Atlantic Coast of Central and South America. Neotropical Ichthyology 9:571-578.

Soares, B.E., Raiol, R.D.O., and Montag, L.F.A. 2011. Occurence of the non-native blenny Omobranchus punctatus (Valenciennes, 1836) (Perciformes: Blenniidae) in the Amazon coastal zone, Brazil. Aquatic Invasions 6:S39-S43.

Springer, V.G. and Gomon, M.F. 1975. Revision of the blenniid fish genus Omobranchus with descriptions of three new species and notes on other species of the tribe Omobranchini. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C. 135 p.

Other Resources:

Author: Schofield, P.J., and Brown, M.E.

This information is preliminary or provisional and is subject to revision. It is being provided to meet the need for timely best science. The information has not received final approval by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and is provided on the condition that neither the USGS nor the U.S. Government shall be held liable for any damages resulting from the authorized or unauthorized use of the information.