Threefin or triplefin blennies are blenniiforms, small

percomorph Percomorpha () is an extremely large and diverse clade of ray-finned fish. With more than 17,000 known species (including Scombroidei, tuna, Syngnathiformes, seahorses, gobies, Cichlidae, cichlids, flatfish, Labridae, wrasse, Perciformes, perches ...

marine

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

of the family Tripterygiidae. Found in tropical and temperate waters of the

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 ...

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

and

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

s, the family contains about 150 species in 30 genera. The family name derives from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

''tripteros'' meaning "with three wings". With an elongated, typical blenny form, threefin blennies differ from their relatives by having a

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 ...

separated into three parts (hence the name); the first two are spinous. The small, slender pelvic fins are located underneath the throat and possess a single spine; the large anal fin may have one or two spines. The pectoral fins are greatly enlarged, and the tail fin is rounded. The

New Zealand topknot The New Zealand topknot (''Notoclinus fenestratus'') is a triplefin of the genus '' Notoclinus'', found around the North Island of New Zealand in reef areas of broken rock and brown seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of s ...

, ''Notoclinus fenestratus'', is the largest species at 20 cm in total length; most other species do not exceed 6 cm. Many threefin blennies are brightly coloured, often for reasons of

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

; these species are popular in the

aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

hobby. As

demersal fish Demersal fish, also known as groundfish, live and feed on or near the bottom of seas or lakes (the demersal zone).Walrond Carl . "Coastal fish - Fish of the open sea floor"Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Updated 2 March 2009 They oc ...

, threefin blennies spend most of their time on or near the bottom on

coral Corals are colonial marine invertebrates within the subphylum Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact Colony (biology), colonies of many identical individual polyp (zoology), polyps. Coral species include the important Coral ...

and rocks. The fish are typically found in shallow, clear waters with sun exposure, such as

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...

s and seaward

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral, or similar relatively stable material lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic component, abiotic (non-living) processes such as deposition (geol ...

s; nervous fish, they retreat to rock crevices at any perceived threat. Threefin blennies are diurnal and territorial; many species exhibit

sexual dichromatism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecious species, which consis ...

, with the females drab compared to the males. The second dorsal fin is also extended in the males of some species. Small

invertebrate Invertebrates are animals that neither develop nor retain a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''spine'' or ''backbone''), which evolved from the notochord. It is a paraphyletic grouping including all animals excluding the chordata, chordate s ...

s comprise the bulk of the threefin blenny diet.

Genera

FishBase lists about 150 species in 30 genera: *Subfamily Notoclininae Fricke, 2009 **''

Brachynectes The southern barred triplefin, ''Brachynectes fasciatus'', is a triplefin of the family Tripterygiidae and only member of the genus ''Brachynectes'', found around Australia's south coast including Tasmania at depths down to 13 m. Its length is o ...

Scott Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Sas ...

, 1957 **''

Notoclinus ''Notoclinus'' is a genus of triplefins in the family Tripterygiidae. Species * Brown topknot, '' Notoclinus compressus'' (Hutton, 1872) * New Zealand topknot The New Zealand topknot (''Notoclinus fenestratus'') is a triplefin of the genu ...

Gill A gill () is a respiration organ, respiratory organ that many aquatic ecosystem, aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow r ...

, 1893 * Subfamily Tripterygiinae Whitley, 1931 * ''

Acanthanectes ''Acanthanectes'' is a genus of triplefins in 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 ...

Holleman Holleman is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Boyce Holleman (1924–2003), American war veteran, attorney, politician, and actor * Frederik David Holleman (1887–1958), Dutch and South African professor, ethnologist, and legal ...

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the High Peak, Derbyshire, Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, in the East Midlands region of England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Alston, Cumbria also claims this, but lacks a regu ...

, 1993 * ''

Apopterygion ''Apopterygion'' is a genus of triplefins in 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 b ...

'' Kuiter, 1986 * '' Axoclinus'' Fowler, 1944 * ''

Bellapiscis ''Bellapiscis'' is a genus of triplefins in 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 b ...

Hardy Hardy may refer to: People * Hardy (surname) * Hardy (given name) * Hardy (singer), American singer-songwriter Places Antarctica * Mount Hardy, Enderby Land * Hardy Cove, Greenwich Island * Hardy Rocks, Biscoe Islands Australia * Hardy, ...

, 1987 * '' Blennodon'' Hardy, 1987 * '' Ceratobregma'' Holleman, 1987 Yellow-and-black triplefin
''Forsterygion flavonigrum'' * '' Cremnochorites'' Holleman, 1982 * '' Crocodilichthys''

Allen Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee * Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas * Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Univ ...

Robertson Robertson may refer to: People * Robertson (surname) (includes a list of people with this name) * Robertson (given name) * Clan Robertson, a Scottish clan * Robertson, stage name of Belgian magician Étienne-Gaspard Robert (1763–1837) Plac ...

, 1991 * '' Cryptichthys'' Hardy, 1987 * '' Enneanectes'' D.S. Jordan & Evermann, 1895 * ''

Enneapterygius ''Enneapterygius'' is a genus of fish in the family Tripterygiidae found in the Indian and Pacific Ocean. Species There are currently 63 recognized species in this genus: * '' Enneapterygius abeli'' ( Klausewitz, 1960) (Yellow triplefin) * '' ...

'' Rüppell, 1835 * ''

Forsterygion ''Forsterygion'' is a genus of Threefin blenny, triplefins in the family (biology), family Tripterygiidae native to coastal New Zealand, but also Introduced species, introduced to Tasmania, Australia. Species The following species are classified ...

'' Whitley &

Phillipps Phillipps is both a given name and an English surname. Notable people with the name include: "Phillipps" has also been a shortened version of Philippson, a German surname especially prevalent amongst German Jews and Dutch Jews. People with the ...

, 1939 * '' Gilloblennius'' Whitley & Phillipps, 1939 * ''

Helcogramma ''Helcogramma'' is a genus in the triplefin family Tripterygiidae. The blennies in the genus ''Helcogramma'' are found throughout the Indo-Pacific and in the South Atlantic Ocean off the islands of St Helena and Ascension. Characteristics The ...

'' McCulloch & Waite, 1918 * ''

Helcogrammoides ''Helcogrammoides'' is a genus of triplefins in the family Tripterygiidae. The species in this genus are found in South America and the Antarctic Peninsula The Antarctic Peninsula, known as O'Higgins Land in Chile and Tierra de San Martin in A ...

'' Rosenblatt, 1990 * '' Karalepis'' Hardy, 1984 * '' Lepidoblennius''

Steindachner Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner descri ...

, 1867 * '' Lepidonectes'' Bussing, 1991 * ''

Matanui ''Matanui'' is a genus of triplefin blennies (family Tripterygiidae), they are endemic to New Zealand. Species * Chatham deep-water triplefin, '' Matanui bathytaton'' (Hardy, 1989) * Deepwater triplefin, ''Matanui profundum'' ( Fricke & Rober ...

Jawad Jawad is a Tehsil and a Nagar Panchayat in Neemuch district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Demographics As of the 2011 Census of India, Jawad had a population of 17,129. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Jawad ...

& Clements, 2004 * '' Norfolkia'' Fowler, 1953 * '' Notoclinops'' Whitley, 1930 Blue-eyed triplefin
''Notoclinops segmentatus'' * '' Ruanoho'' Hardy, 1986 * '' Springerichthys'' Shen, 1994 * '' Trianectes'' McCulloch & Waite, 1918 * '' Trinorfolkia'' Fricke, 1994 * ''

Tripterygion ''Tripterygion'' is a genus of fish in the family Tripterygiidae, the threefin blennies, the species of which are found in the north eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. Species * '' Tripterygion delaisi'' Cadenat ...

'' Risso, 1827 * ''

Ucla The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

'' Holleman, 1993

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1257814 Blenniiformes