The Family Blenniidae

The combtooth blennies, family Blenniidae, are placed in the suborder Blennioidei, in the large order Perciformes. The family is primarily marine, although occasionally found in brackish and freshwater (Nelson, 1994). Blennies are diurnal, shallow-water species, for the most part found in the tropical and subtropical seas, distributed worldwide. They are found in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, in the Red and Mediterranean Seas, and in the Caribbean (Springer, 1968; Nelson 1994). Blenniids are small, naked-bodied fishes with blunt heads. The pelvic fins are anterior to the pectoral fins (notable among perciforms) and have one short embedded spine and between two and four soft rays. In most species the adults have a benthic existence, and lack swim-bladders. A notable exception is the tribe Nemophini in which the adults are usually free-swimming and have swim-bladders (Smith-Vaniz, 1976).

Taxonomic History

            The group has been in existence since Linneaus (1758) erected the genus Blennius. Cuvier and Valenciennes (1836) included the blennies within their family Gobioides. Regan (1912) developed the modern concept of a suborder Blennioidei, including the family Blenniidae in the division Blenniiformes along with the families Anarrichadidae, Congrogadidae, and Notograptidae. The other two divisions contained within Blennioidei were the Cliniformes and the Ophidiiformes. Jordan (1923) placed Blenniidae in his order Jugulares along with all other spiny-rayed fishes having pelvic fins forward of the pectoral fins. Jugulares contained 62 families divided into 12 suborders, and has been called a “radical” arrangement (Rosenblatt, 1984). Subsequent years saw a return to Regan’s (1912) arrangement, with the primary difference being the removal of Ophidiiformes to the suborder Ophidioidei (Berg, 1947) at which point they leave the scheme of blennioid classification altogether. Norman (1943) discussed relationships within Blenniidae itself, dividing the family into three subfamilies: Blenniinae, Ophioblenniinae, and Salariinae. Smith (1959) divided Blenniidae sensu Norman (1943) into two families: Blenniidae and Salariidae. 1968 was a banner year for blennioid classification, with the papers of Gosline (1968) and Springer (1968). These are the schemes of blennioid and blenniid classification which have survived with minimal modification