Striped slimy fish
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Striped slimy fish ( Parablennius rouxi ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Parablennius rouxi | ||||||||||||
| ( Cocco , 1833) |
The striped slimy fish ( Parablennius rouxi ; Cocco, 1833; Greek para 'to the side' and blennios 'slime') is a species of fish from the family of slimy fish ( Blenniidae ) found in the Mediterranean region . The scaly body of P. rouxi , which is characteristic of slimy fish , is characterized by a white-gray to light yellowish color and a blackish longitudinal stripe from the eye to the caudal fin. Parablennius rouxi prefers to feed on periphyton, small crustaceans and algae, but also on benthonic mollusks and plankton . The distribution area extends over the northern and eastern Mediterranean to the southern coast of Portugal. Oviparous reproduction takes place from May to July.
Anatomy and appearance
Parablennius rouxi has an elongated body and a rounded, blunt head. There are fringed tentacles above the eyes, which are slightly longer than the diameter of the eyes. The dorsal fin forms a long fin edge and is hardly notched. The thread-like pelvic fins sit in the throat in front of the pectoral fin base and serve to support them on the ground. They also have an inconspicuous sting and segmented soft rays. On the anal fin there are two weak fin spines that have receded in the females. The pectoral fins have unbranched fin rays ( Dermotrichia ). The teeth on the jaws are small, pointed, fixed or movable and arranged in simple rows like a comb. The swim bladder is usually no longer present in adult slime fish. Species from the genus of the slimy fish are basically able to change their color depending on their mood. As a camouflage, the coloring and drawing patterns can often be adapted to the surroundings. P. rouxi is one of the few exceptions where the color is fairly constant and unmistakable. The German name “Schleimfische” comes from the fact that the skin of the fish has no scales and is instead characterized by numerous mucous glands, which makes its surface very slimy. Slime fish species, such as P. rouxi , can also survive in very oxygen-poor waters, as they are able to combine skin breathing and gill breathing with their predominantly scaly, slimy skin . They can also store water in their gills and stay out of the water for a long time. The mucus that coats their body prevents them from drying out. P. rouxi reaches a maximum length of 8 cm.
Distribution area and habitat
P. rouxi is found mainly in subtropical waters. The distribution area extends over the northern and eastern Mediterranean, as well as from Syria, Lebanon and Israel over the coastal region of Palestine. There are also records of P. rouxi from the east Atlantic along the south coast of Portugal. P. rouxi belongs to the benthonic fish species and therefore spends most of its time on or directly above the subsurface. Adult individuals can be found in the shallow littoral zone at a water depth of up to 42 meters. Here they are protected from strong waves. They prefer to live above bright, bare rock or pebbles or on secondary ground of corallogenic origin and usually hide in small rock holes. P. rouxi is relatively undemanding when it comes to the choice of its microhabitats .
nutrition
P. rouxi feeds mainly on periphyton and algae, but often also on small invertebrates such as copepods ( Harpacticoida ). It has also been observed that they behave like cleaner fish and eat smaller animals, as well as parasites and skin from the body of other fish.
behavior
P. rouxi belongs to the group of lively and curious fish species. They actively search for food and explore small caves and algae growth. They can pursue smaller prey such as flea or copepods.
Reproduction
During the mating season between May and July, male individuals of the species Parablennius rouxi colonize narrow rock holes or empty mussel shells. P. rouxi is one of the so-called substrate spawners . The females are encouraged by the male to lay their eggs in their hiding place or in small holes dug for this purpose. The lure behavior includes courtly nodding, jumping in and out of hiding spots, and swimming in a vertical position. If the male succeeds in getting a female to lay her eggs, these are usually protected by the male alone or by both individuals. Often it happens that females of different families lay their eggs in the hiding place of only one male. The eggs of P. rouxi are demersal, adhesive and attached to the ground by a thread-like, sticky base or cushion and thus well protected.
Defense behavior
Rivals are threatened by yawning and presenting the lateral side of the body with simultaneous circular turning movements. An attack leads to ramming and biting of the competitor.
Life cycle
The larvae of P. rouxi are planktonic and are often sighted in shallow coastal regions. Like most littoral fish, P. rouxi undergoes transformation during development. From a pelagial larval stage to a benthonic stage from the time of recruitment.
Hazard and protection
Parablennius rouxi is a common and common species, however no specific information about population behavior is available. The occurrence below 10 m water depth varies between 0.5 and 1 individuals per square meter. The current population is therefore considered stable and not at risk.
literature
- Fiedler, K .: " Textbook of Special Zoology, Volume II, Part 2: Fish " . Gustav Fischer Verlag, Jena 1991, ISBN 3-334-00339-6 .
- Golani, D .: " Fishes of the eastern Mediterranean " . Istanbul 2006, ISBN 978-975-8825-12-7 , pp. 259 ff .
- Nachtigall, W .: " Animals and plants on the Mediterranean coast in their habitats - from the coastal strip to the open sea " . BLV Buchverlag GmbH & Co., 1992, ISBN 978-3-405-12697-1 , p. 255 .
- Nelson, Joseph S .: " Fishes of the World " . John Wiley & Sons, 1994, ISBN 0-471-25031-7 .
- Riedl, R .: " Fauna and flora of the Mediterranean: a systematic marine guide for biologists and nature lovers, 3rd edition " . P. Parey, Hamburg 1983, ISBN 978-3-490-23418-6 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Carneiro, M., Martins, R., Landi, M. and Costa, F. (2014). Updated checklist of marine fishes (Chordata: Craniata) from Portugal and the proposed extension of the Portuguese continental shelf. European Journal of Taxonomy 73 (1-73)
- ↑ a b c d Zander, CD (1986). Blenniidae. In: PJP Whitehead, ML Bauchot, JC Hureau, J. Nielsen and E. Tortonese (eds), Fishes of the north-eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, pp. 1096-1112. UNESCO, Paris.
- ↑ Golani, D., Öztürk, B., and Başusta, N. (2006). Fishes of the eastern Mediterranean, (Beykoz, Istanbul: Turkish Marine Research Foundation), ISBN 9789758825127
- ↑ Orlando-Bonaca, M. and Lipej, L. (2007). Microhabitat preferences and depth distribution of combtooth blennies (Blenniidae) in the Gulf of Trieste (North Adriatic Sea). Marine Ecology 28 (3).
- ↑ a b Breder, CM and DE Rosen, (1966). Modes of reproduction in fishes. TFH Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
- ^ Watson, W., 2009. Larval development in blennies. pp. 309-350. In Patzner, RA, EJ Gonçalves, PA Hastings and BG Kapoor (eds.). The biology of blennies. Science Publishers, Enfield, NH, USA. 482 p.
- ↑ Garciarubies, A. and E. Macpherson (1995). "Substrate Use and Temporal Pattern of Recruitment in Juvenile Fishes of the Mediterranean Littoral." Marine Biology 124 (1): 35-42.
- ^ Zander, CD (1996). The distribution and feeding ecology of small-size fish in the coastal Mediterranean Sea. In: Eleftheriou, A. (ed.), Biology and Ecology of Shallow Coastal Waters.
Web links
- Parablennius rouxi on Fishbase.org (English)