''Helcogramma'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
in the
triplefin
Threefin or triplefin blennies are blenny, blenniiforms, small Percomorpha, percomorph marine fish of the family Tripterygiidae. Found in tropical and temperate waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pacific and Indian Oceans, the ...
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Tripterygiidae. The blennies in the genus ''Helcogramma'' are found throughout the
Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...
and in the South Atlantic Ocean off the islands of
St Helena
Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory.
Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...
and
Ascension.
Characteristics
The fishes in the genus ''Helcogramma'' are characterised by the possession of a continuous
lateral line
The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelia ...
which bends down towards the
operculum, this lateral line comprises 7–39 tubular pored scales. There are three spines in the first
dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates. Dorsal fins have evolved independently several times through convergent evolution adapting to marine environments, so the fins are not all homologous. They are found ...
and the
anal fin
Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported o ...
has one spine, the
pelvic fin
Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral (belly) surface of fish, and are the lower of the only two sets of paired fins (the other being the laterally positioned pectoral fins). The pelvic fins are homologous to the hi ...
has a single spine and two rays. The head is scaleless and normally the bases of the dorsal and anal fins have a scaleless strip. There are five bones in the joint between the
caudal fin
Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported only ...
and the
vertebrae
Each vertebra (: vertebrae) is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, that make up the vertebral column or spine, of vertebrates. The proportions of the vertebrae differ according to their spinal ...
, the hypurals.
[
]
Species
There are currently 41 recognized species in this genus:
* ''Helcogramma albimacula
''Helcogramma albimacula'' is a species of triplefin blenny in the genus '' Helcogramma''. It was described by Jeffery T. Williams and Jeffrey C. Howe in 2003. This species is endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in ...
'' J. T. Williams & Howe, 2003 (Whitespot triplefin)
* '' Helcogramma alkamr'' Holleman, 2007
* '' Helcogramma aquila'' J. T. Williams & C. J. McCormick, 1990 (Darktail triplefin)
* '' Helcogramma ascensionis'' Lubbock
Lubbock ( )
is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 272,086 in 2024, Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the ...
, 1980 (Ascension triplefin)
* '' Helcogramma atauroensis'' Fricke & Erdmann, 2017Helcogramma novaecaledoniae
''Helcogramma novaecaledoniae'', known commonly as the New Caledonian triplefin, is a species of triplefin blenny in the genus ''Helcogramma''. It was described by Ronald Fricke in 1994. This species is found in the western Pacific Ocean where i ...
'' R. Fricke, 1994 (New Caledonian triplefin)
* '' Helcogramma obtusirostris'' ( Klunzinger, 1871) (Hotlips triplefin)
* '' Helcogramma randalli'' J. T. Williams & Howe, 2003 (Randall's triplefin)
* '' Helcogramma rharhabe'' Holleman, 2007
* '' Helcogramma rhinoceros'' P. E. Hadley, 1986 (Rhinocerus triplefin)
* '' Helcogramma rosea'' Holleman, 2006 (Rosy triplefin)
* '' Helcogramma serendip'' Holleman, 2007
* '' Helcogramma shinglensis'' Lal Mohan, 1971
* '' Helcogramma solorensis'' R. Fricke, 1997 (Solor triplefin)
* '' Helcogramma springeri'' P. E. Hadley, 1986 (Springer's triplefin)
* '' Helcogramma steinitzi'' E. Clark, 1980 (Red triplefin)
* '' Helcogramma striata'' P. E. Hadley, 1986 (Tropical striped triplefin)
* '' Helcogramma trigloides'' ( Bleeker, 1858) (Scarf triplefin)
* '' Helcogramma vulcana'' J. E. Randall & E. Clark, 1993 (Volcano triplefin)
* '' Helcogramma williamsi'' M. C. Chiang & I. S. Chen, 2012
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q628986
Tripterygiidae
Taxa named by Allan Riverstone McCulloch
Taxa named by Edgar Ravenswood Waite