Name: Gulf Blenny
Local name: Albelleen
Scientific name: Ecsenius pulcher
Classification: Class: ray-finned fishes; Order: perch-likes; Family: blennies (Blenniidae)
Size: It attains about 11 cm in total length.
Habitat:
This species is almost exclusively benthic and occurs in shallow water in coral areas and rocky reefs where it hides in crevices. It feeds on plants, including benthic algae and weeds. It is oviparous and exhibits distinct pairing. Eggs are adhesive and attached to the substrate via filaments. Larvae are planktonic, and often occur in shallow coastal waters.
Distribution:
The Gulf Blenny is only known from the coast of Oman, the Arabian Gulf, where it is common, and the northwestern coast of the Indian subcontinent.
Conservation status:
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species classifies the Gulf Blenny as Least Concern (LC) in both the global assessment and the regional assessment for the Arabian Gulf.
Description:
The body is slender, large and has no scales on its surface. The Gulf Blenny is blunt-headed with the mouth low on the head. There is a prominent tentacle on the anterior nostril. Coloration of head and body is uniform dark grey-brown, darker brown dorsally and abruptly white ventrally. In the bicolored phase, the posterior part of the body is orange-yellow with narrow dark bars.
