Cirripectes obscurus, the gargantuan blenny, is a species of combtooth blenny considered endemic to coral reefs in the Hawaiian island chain.[2][3]It's perhaps the largest and most colorful of the Hawaiian blennies.
| Cirripectes obscurus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Blenniiformes |
| Family: | Blenniidae |
| Genus: | Cirripectes |
| Species: | C. obscurus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Cirripectes obscurus (Borodin, 1927)
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Exallias obscurus Borodin, 1927 | |
Description
editCirripectes obscurus, lives in dark holes in the surf zone and is therefore rarely observed. This large species is purplish-brown with white speckles and irregular vertical bands, while the back and tail are dark brown with scattered white dots.[4] Nuptial males have a vivid orange head and can reach up to eight inches in length.[3] This species reaches a length of 20 centimetres (7.9 in) TL.[5][3]
Distribution and habitat
editCirripectes obscurus is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, although one putative specimen has been collected in the Austral Islands.[2] This species lives on shallow reefs and lagoons at depths ranging from 3 to 20 feet (1 to 6 meters). Cirripectes obscurus, lives in dark holes in the surf zone and is therefore rarely observed.[3]
References
edit- ^ Williams, J.T. (2014). "Cirripectes obscurus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T48342089A48405779. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T48342089A48405779.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ a b Delrieu-Trottin, Erwan; Liggins, Libby; Trnski, Thomas; Williams, Jeffrey T.; Neglia, Valentina; Rapu-Edmunds, Cristian; Planes, Serge; Saenz-Agudelo, Pablo (2018-12-20). "Evidence of cryptic species in the blenniid Cirripectes alboapicalis species complex, with zoogeographic implications for the South Pacific". ZooKeys (810): 127–138. Bibcode:2018ZooK..810..127D. doi:10.3897/zookeys.810.28887. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 6308223. PMID 30613176.
- ^ a b c d "Gargantuan Blenny, Cirripectes obscurus". www.marinelifephotography.com. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
- ^ Strasburg, Donald W. (July 1956). "Notes on the Blennioid Fishes of Hawaii with Descriptions of Two New Species". Pacific Science. 10 (3). hdl:10125/8693. ISSN 0030-8870.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Cirripectes obscurus". FishBase. February 2013 version.
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