Relevant synonyms None Misidentification None Meristic formula D, XI - XIII +19-23; A, II + 21-26; P, 12-14; V, 2  photo : Daniel Golani

SHORT DESCRIPTION Body elongate and compressed. Head profile steep without tentacles or crest. Inferior mouth. Rows of closely set teeth in both jaws. Large recurved canine teeth in the corners of both upper and lower jaws. Small slit-like gill opening above and slightly in front of pectoral fin base. Long continuous dorsal fin. Pelvic fin in front of pectoral fin. Caudal fin rounded with small incisions between its rays. color : body grey to olive-green with delicate row of dusky dashes. Three broad dusky bands on the head. size : 3-7 cm (max. 11 cm). DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS Petroscirtes ancylodon: several cirri on head; body yellowish-brown with irregular brown and black blotches. Other blennids: lack of fang-like teeth in the jaws. Gobiidae: pelvic fins united to form sucking disc. Tripterygiidae: three dorsal fins. Callionymidae: two dorsal fins; pelvic fin I + 5. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Feeds on benthic invertebrates. Demersal spawner. habitat : site-attached species on rocky and artificial substrate in shallow waters.

1st MEDITERRANEAN RECORD 2003, Port of Ashdod, Israel. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide: Originally Indo-Pacific from Australia to the Persian Gulf. Presumably transferred by ship to Trinidad and other West Indies islands; in the same manner, it reached South Africa and the Suez Canal. Mediterranean: a single specimen was recorded from the port of Ashdod, Israel (Golani, 2004). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Very rare. speculated reasons for success : - MODE OF INTRODUCTION Probably by ballast water. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS None.

KEY REFERENCES Golani D., 2004. First record of the muzzled blenny (Osteichthyes: Blenniidae: Omobranchus punctatus) from the Mediterranean, with remarks on ship-mediated fish introduction. Journal of the Marine Biological Association U.K., 84: 851-852. Ismail W.A. and D.A. Clayton, 1990. Biology of Omobranchus punctatus (Blenniidae) on rocky shores in Kuwait. Cybium, 14: 285-293. Kawaguchi T., H. Kohono, K. Fujita and Y. Taki, 1999. Early morphological development of Omobranchus fasciolatoceps and O. punctatus (Blenniidae: Omobranchini) reared in an aquarium. Ichthyological Research, 46: 163-170.   Springer V.G. and M.E. Gomon, 1975. Revision of the blenniid fish genus Omobranchus with description of three new species and notes on other species of the tribe Omobranchini. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, 177: 1-135. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

Last update of the species sheet: June 2004 ©ciesm 2002