Preliminary Guide to the Identification of the Early Life History Stages of211 Blennioid Fishes of the Western Central Atlantic, Faunal List and Meristic Data 211 for All Known Blennioid Species

摘要

The suborder Blenniodei comprises six families: Blenniidae, Chaenopsidae,211u001eClinidae, Dactyloscopidae, Labrisomidae, and Tripterygildae. Adult Blennioids are 211u001esmall (most less than 15 cm standard length), benthic, non-commercial, cryptic 211u001efishes that primarily inhabit tidepools and coral and rocky reefs. Most species 211u001eare distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, and 211u001eIndian oceans, however, representatives of some families can be found in boreal, 211u001ebrackish, and freshwater environments. The monophyly of the Blennioidei has been 211u001ehypothesized based on six specialized osteological features involving the dorsal 211u001egill arches, pectoral fin and girdle, pelvic fin and girdle, caudal fin, anal 211u001efin, and vertebrae. A detailed summary of blennioid classification since 1975 is 211u001eprovided by Springer (1993).