''Microlipophrys velifer'', the sailfin blenny is a species of
combtooth blenny
Combtooth blennies are blenny, blenniiformids; Percomorpha, percomorph marine fish of the family Blenniidae, part of the Order (biology), order Blenniiformes. They are the largest family of blennies with around 401 known species in 58 genera. Com ...
found in the eastern
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
ocean off west
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
from
Mauritania
Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...
and
Cape Verde
Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...
to the
Cunene River
The Cunene (Portuguese spelling) or Kunene (common Namibian spelling) is a river in Southern Africa. It flows from the Angola highlands southwards to the border with Namibia. It then flows in a westerly direction along the border until it reaches ...
,
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...
.
Description
This species grows to a length of
TL. The dorsal fin has 12 spines and 15 to 16 rays while the anal fin has two spines and 16 to 18 rays.
The species inhabits rocky intertidal zones both protected and unprotected from the waves. The species lay eggs that are attached in holes in rocks.
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References
Further reading
* Bath, H., 1990. "Blenniidae". p. 905-915. in J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) ''Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic'' (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol.2.
* Nelson, J.: ''Fishes of the World'', 3rd ed.. New York, USA: John Wiley and Sons., 1994, p. 600
velifer
Marine fish of West Africa
Fish of Angola
Fauna of Cameroon
Vertebrates of Cape Verde
Fish of Equatorial Guinea
Fish of the East Atlantic
Fish described in 1935
Taxa named by John Roxborough Norman
{{Blenniidae-stub