Debra Baker
Info
We would like to thank Debra Baker for her photo of Ecsenius pardus, taken near Namena, Fiji!
Fiji is an island nation in the South Pacific, north of New Zealand and east of Australia, consisting of more than 300 islands.
However, Ecsenius pardus is only found on a few islands. Dr. Victor noted in his work “The Indo-Pacific Blenniid Fish Genus Ecsenius” that Ecsenius pardus is only found from the main island of Viti Levu south to Ono-i-Lau, an isolated atoll in the southeast of the island nation of Fiji in the Pacific Ocean.
“Although one would expect Ecsenius pardus to occur along the northern barrier islands of Fiji, it would be desirable to confirm this expectation.”
The photo by Debra Baker from Namena documents that Dr. Victor's expectation has been confirmed.
Brief description:
Ecsenius pardus has a brownish base color on its head and body, with a reddish overlay on the head.
The lower lip and small adjacent rear area are pink.
The eye spots are blackish brown with whitish rings, and some bright white spots are visible at the base of the pectoral fins, on the ventral part of the sides, and along the dorsal line.
A dark stripe is visible behind the eyes with a light, narrow marginal stripe ventrally, which turns white on the body.
The outer edge of the pelvic fins is white, with a white spot in the middle near the base of the caudal fins.
Due to the clearly visible eye spots on its body, Ecsenius pardus was given the common name “leopard” combtooth blenny, as the eye spots resemble the coat pattern of a leopard.
Etymology: The species name “paroculus” is derived from the Latin “par” for (close) and “oculus” for (eye) and refers to the superficial similarity of its color pattern to that of Ecsenius oculus.
Fiji is an island nation in the South Pacific, north of New Zealand and east of Australia, consisting of more than 300 islands.
However, Ecsenius pardus is only found on a few islands. Dr. Victor noted in his work “The Indo-Pacific Blenniid Fish Genus Ecsenius” that Ecsenius pardus is only found from the main island of Viti Levu south to Ono-i-Lau, an isolated atoll in the southeast of the island nation of Fiji in the Pacific Ocean.
“Although one would expect Ecsenius pardus to occur along the northern barrier islands of Fiji, it would be desirable to confirm this expectation.”
The photo by Debra Baker from Namena documents that Dr. Victor's expectation has been confirmed.
Brief description:
Ecsenius pardus has a brownish base color on its head and body, with a reddish overlay on the head.
The lower lip and small adjacent rear area are pink.
The eye spots are blackish brown with whitish rings, and some bright white spots are visible at the base of the pectoral fins, on the ventral part of the sides, and along the dorsal line.
A dark stripe is visible behind the eyes with a light, narrow marginal stripe ventrally, which turns white on the body.
The outer edge of the pelvic fins is white, with a white spot in the middle near the base of the caudal fins.
Due to the clearly visible eye spots on its body, Ecsenius pardus was given the common name “leopard” combtooth blenny, as the eye spots resemble the coat pattern of a leopard.
Etymology: The species name “paroculus” is derived from the Latin “par” for (close) and “oculus” for (eye) and refers to the superficial similarity of its color pattern to that of Ecsenius oculus.
