| Chaenopsidae | |
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| Emblemaria atlantica | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Blenniiformes |
| Suborder: | Blennioidei |
| Family: | Chaenopsidae T. N. Gill, 1865 |
| Genera[1] | |
Theblennioid familyChaenopsidae includes thepike-blennies,tube-blennies, andflagblennies, allpercomorph marinefish in the orderBlenniiformes.[2] The family is strictly tropical, ranging fromNorth toSouth America. Members are also present in waters offJapan,Taiwan andKorea. Fourteen genera and 91 species are represented, the largest being thesarcastic fringehead,Neoclinus blanchardi, at 30 cm (12 in) in length; most are much smaller, and the group includes perhaps the smallest of all vertebrates,Acanthemblemaria paula, measuring just 1.3 cm (0.51 in) long as an adult.[3]
With highly compressed bodies, some may be so elongated as to appeareel-like; chaenopsids are scaleless and lacklateral lines. Their heads are rough and may be armed with spines. There may be 17 to 28 spines in thedorsal fin, with two in theanal fin.[2]
The habit of taking up home in abandonedworm tubes has earned some species in this family the name "tube-blenny". Many will also inhabit empty clam shells, which also serve as nesting sites; males are known to guard the brood. Some species have dorsal fins which are significantly higher towards the head, explaining the moniker "flagblenny".Crustaceans make up the bulk of the chaenopsid diet.[4]
At least one species found in theCaribbean,Emblemariopsis diaphana, is known to form asymbiotic relationship withstony coral,Meandrina meandrites.[5]
According to some authorities the Chaenopsidae is notmonophyletic if the generaNeoclinus andStathmonotus are included. They propose thatStathmonotus be included in the familyLabrisomidae and thatNeoclinus, and the closely relatedMccoskerichthys, be placed in thetribe Neoclinini, stating that further study is required to clarify this clade's true relationships.[6]
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