Protemblemaria perla
| Protemblemaria perla | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Chaenopsidae |
| Genus: | Protemblemaria |
| Species: | P. perla |
| Binomial name | |
| Protemblemaria perla Hastings, 2001 | |
Protemblemaria perla, the Pearl blenny,[1] is a species of chaenopsid blenny.
Etymology
The specific name "perla", used as a noun in apposition, simultaneously refers to the pearly white bar-colouring on the body and to the Pearl Islands, where the three type specimens were collected.[1]
Description
Based on the extremely limited sample available, males of this species are known to reach a maximum length of approximately 4.1 centimetres (1.6 in) SL while females are known to reach approximately 3 centimetres (1.2 in).[1] The blennies are primarily brown and yellow in colour, also displaying the aforementioned white stripes.[1] The eyes of the blenny possess pale irises with yellow or rusty lines stemming from the pupils, and pale blue dots underneath the eye sockets and around the jaws.[1] P. perla shares the radiating lines in its eyes with its sister species P. bicirrus and P. punctata, a trait Hastings describes as being possibly unique to members of Protemblemaria. As is typical of the genus, P. perla possesses fleshy ridges between the eyes and the snout.[1] Hastings theorizes that Protemblemaria perla is most closely related to its southern Caribbean sister taxon P. punctata.[1]
Distribution
The full extent of the distribution of Protemblemaria perla is uncertain, as it is only known from two male and a single female specimen collected from Isla del Rey, Pearl Islands, Panama, in the eastern central Pacific Ocean.[2]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hastings, P.A., 2001 [ref. 25781] Protemblemaria perla, a new species of tube blenny (Perciformes: Chaenopsidae) from the tropical eastern Pacific. Revista de Biologia Tropical v. 49 (Suppl. 1): 125-132.
- ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). "Protemblemaria perla" in FishBase. February 2013 version.