Author: (Cocco, 1833)
Parablennius rouxi (Cocco, 1833)
Status in World Register of Marine Species:
Accepted name: Parablennius rouxi (Cocco, 1833) (updated 2009-06-25)
Diagnosis: dorsal finrays XII + 21-22; anal finrays II + 23; pectoral finrays 14; pelvic finrays I + 3. Colour: body white with dark brown stripe running from eye to base of caudal fin. Spawning males with high orange orbital tentacles, enlarged spiny dorsal fin, a green spot at beginning of dorsal fin, bulb glands on spiny anal finrays and club-like glands at end of soft anal and dorsal finrays. Size: to 8 cm.
Habitat: from shallow littoral zone to beyond influence of water movements at depths down to 42 m; on light rocks or pebbles without algae cover (shallow biotopes) and on secondary hard bottoms of coralligenous origin (deep biotopes). Behaviour: males live in narrow piddock holes; they court by nodding, jumping out of hole and back again and swimming in a vertical position. Rivals are threatened by yawning, lateral display and circling, and are attacked by ramming and biting. Food: periphyton, harpacticoids and algae. Reproduction: May-July. Attracted females spawn in resident hole of a male which guards eggs from several females.
Distribution: northern Mediterranean and off Portugal.
Eggs, larvae and young stages. No data.
Otoliths (sagitta). No data.