FISHES OF FAMILY BLENNIIDAE 63 



other blennioids have the teeth in the jaws relatively separated 

 from each other. There is usually more than one row of functional 

 teeth in each jaw, usually consisting of villiform teeth behind a 

 large outer row. There are no enlarged or separated canines posteriorly 

 in the jaws, and teeth are frequently present on the vomer and 

 palatines. In addition, some nonblenniids have platehke crushing 

 teeth. 



Several characters descriptive of the blenniids serve to separate the 

 blenniids from one or more of the other blennioid families. These are: 

 the low number of spines in the dorsal fin (3-17, usually less than 14) ; 

 the presence of only flexible, nonpungent spines; the ratio of spines 

 to rays in the dorsal fin (with rare exception, more rays than spines) ; 

 the nonpro tractile premaxillaries; the short ascending premaxillary 

 process (shorter than the body of the premaxillary) ; the usual meeting 

 of the descending processes of the frontals with the ascending processes 

 of the parasphenoid to exclude the pterosphenoids and prootics from 

 the orbits (at least pterosphenoids of other Blenniicae enter the orbits) ; 

 the lack of scales; the presence of pelvic fins (in all but one species) ; 

 the lack of a pectoral ray articulating directly with the scapula (the 

 presence of a pectoral ray articulating with the scapula is diagnostic 

 of the Tripterygiidae within the superf amily Blenniicae) ; and the 

 absence of branched pectoral rays. 



Diagnoses of the Subfamilies and Tribes 



Subfamily Blenniinae (characters given in the diagnoses of the 

 tribes are not all given in the subfamily diagnoses). — Basisphenoid 

 present; intercalar present; ascending process of premaxillary weakly 

 to strongly based on body of premaxillary; dentaries united by even 

 nonsuturing or suturing joint; dentaries and premaxillaries with or 

 without enlarged canine posteriorly; vomer with or without teeth; 

 frontals not ornamented; circumorbitals 2-5 (most genera with 5); 

 posttemporal with well-developed, ventrally extending arm; supra- 

 cleithrum articulating anteriorly with posttemporal; last dorsal spine 

 normal to vestigial; dorsal fin with or without a notch between spinous 

 and rayed portions; segmented dorsal fin rays 10-26 (usually less 

 than 24) ; 0-2 proximal dorsal fin pterygiophores dorsal to supra-oc- 

 cipital; segmented caudal rays 10 to 15 (usually 12 to 14); caudal fin 

 with or without branched rays; pelvic rays 1,2-1,4; vertebrae 28-44; 

 9-12 precaudal vertebrae; neural arch of first and second vertebrae 

 complete (closed dorsally, except in aberrant individuals) ; posterior- 

 most pleural on vertebra 9-12 ; minimal hypural (hypural 5) present 

 or absent; 2 epurals (infrequently 1) ; gill opening ranging from re- 

 stricted to above level of pectoral base to unrestricted; adults es- 

 sentially benthic. 



