Sabre-toothed blenny

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iSabre-toothed blenny
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Perciformes Family: Blenniidae Genus: Aspidontus Species: A. taeniatus
Binomial name
Aspidontus taeniatus Quoy & Gaimard, 1834

The sabre-toothed blenny, Aspidontus taeniatus, is a species of blenny that imitates the "dance" of a similarly colored species of cleaner wrasse. It tricks fish into offering their underparts to be cleaned. Instead of eating parasites from the scales of the fish, the sabre-toothed blenny bites the victim and rushes away. Fish that has already been biten might attack other blenny trying to bite them.

It is indigenous to coral reef habitats in the Indian Ocean.

[edit] References

• Aspidontus taeniatus (TSN 171298). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 24 January 2006.
• "Aspidontus taeniatus". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. 10 2005 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2005.