Saltwater
Forktail blenny
Meiacanthus atrodorsalis
Blenniidae, Blenniinae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 11 cm
- Body shape
- Elongated
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 46 liters
- Diet
- Missing
Know what is missing? Suggest it in the app.
Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
Native
Lives wild in American Samoa, Australia, China, Fiji, Guam, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, and 10 more countries.
More about the species
Description
Adults are found solitary or in pairs in lagoon and seaward reefs below the surge zone to 30 m depth. A common species, often seen along slopes and drop-offs, adults sometimes in small groups. Feed on zooplankton and also on small benthic invertebrates. Inoffensive, but immune from predation. Oviparous. Eggs are demersal and adhesive, and are attached to the substrate via a filamentous, adhesive pad or pedestal. Larvae are planktonic, often found in shallow, coastal waters. Mimicked by Ecsenius bicolor and Plagiotremus laudanus.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Meiacanthus atrodorsalis atrodorsalis
- Petroscirtes atrodorsalis
- Petroscirtes herlihyi
In other languages
- Saumamyrkkyluikero
- Eye-lash harptail blenny, Eye-lash harptail-blenny, Eyelash fangblenny, Eyelash harp-tail, Lyretail blenny, Poison-fang blenny, Yellowtail fangblenny, Yellowtail poison-fang blenny
Articles
All articles
How to add new fish4 min read
From the store to the tank: how to get the fish used to your water, why you should add only a few at a time, and what to watch for in the first few days.
Quarantine for new fish3 min read
Why new fish should live in a tank of their own for a few weeks before they move in, what you need, and what to look for.
From freshwater to saltwater3 min read
What is different in a saltwater aquarium: salt, refractometer, live rock and corals. An introduction for anyone thinking of giving it a try.