Common name: blenny

Taxonomy: available through www.itis.gov

Identification: Randall (1995) describes Parablennius thysanius as having a brown body with seven sets of four blackish spots along the back; the head, nape, and chest with small orangish brown spots; a dark bar dorsally on the head behind the eye; a dusky spot on the first membrane of the dorsal fin; anal fin with white-tipped rays and a black submarginal band. The tentacle over the eye is palmate with 4-6 cirri in females and as many as 22 in males (Randall 1996).

Size: Males reach 6.2 cm with females reaching about 5 cm total length (Randall 1995)

Native Range: Indo-West Pacific from Oman and Sri Lanka to Thailand and the Philippines (Mundy 2005)

 

Interactive maps: Point Distribution Maps

Ecology: In general blennies are herbivorous. The female lays demersal eggs that are guarded by the male in a nest. Nest sites include the surface of stones, abandoned worm tubes, dead coral crevices, and empty bottles and cans (Allen and Erdmann 2012). This species is found in shallow water 0-10 m (Esmaeili et al. 2022).
In Hawaii this species is most abundant on fouling communities such as dock floats (Greenfield 2003).

Means of Introduction: possible hull fouling or ballast water (Carlton and Eldredge 2009)

Status: Established in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii and reported from Pearl Harbor (Springer 1991).

Impact of Introduction: The impacts of this species are currently unknown, as no studies have been done to determine how it has affected ecosystems in the invaded range. The absence of data does not equate to lack of effects. It does, however, mean that research is required to evaluate effects before conclusions can be made.

Remarks: Materials examined by Springer (1991) are cataloged as USNM 308501. Other specimens are cataloged at the Bishop Museum as BPBM 33935.

References: (click for full references)

Allen, G.R., and M.V. Erdmann. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Volume 2. Tropical Reef Research, Perth, Australia.

Carlton, J.T., and L.G. Eldredge. 2009. Marine bioinvasions of Hawai’i: The introduced and cryptogenic marine and estuarine animals and plants of the Hawaiian archipelago. Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.

Esmaeili, H.R., S.A. Aljufili, G. Sayydazadeh, and S. Echreshavi. 2022. An updated checklist of blenniiform fishes (Teleostei: Blenniiformes) in the north-western Indian Ocean: Taxonomy, diversity, and conservation status. Fish Taxa 24:10-41.

Greenfield, D.W. 2003. A survey of the small reef fishes of Kane’oke Bay, O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands. Pacific Science 57:45-76.

Mundy, B.C. 2005. Checklist of the fishes of the Hawaiian archipelago. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.

Randall, J.E. 1995. Coastal fishes of Oman. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.

Randall, J.E. 1996. Shore fishes of Hawai’i. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
Springer, V.G. 1991. Documentation of the blenniid fish Parablennius thysanius from the Hawaiian Islands. Pacific Science 45:72-75.

Parenti, L.R., D.E. Pitassy, Z. Jaafar, K. Vinnikov, N.E. Redmond, and K.S. Cole. 2020. Fishes collected during the 2017 MarineGEO assessment of Kane’ohe Bay, Oahu, Hawai’i. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 100:607-637.

Other Resources:

Author: M.E. Brown

Peer Review Date: 9/18/2023

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.