Blenniella gibbifrons

Blenniella gibbifrons, also known as the hump-headed blenny, bullethead rockskipper or picture rockskipper, is a species of combtooth blenny found in coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans from East Africa in the west to the Hawaiian, Line and Ducie Islands, in the east and north to Marcus Island.^[2]

Blenniella gibbifrons
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Blenniiformes
Family:	Blenniidae
Genus:	Blenniella
Species:	B. gibbifrons
Binomial name
Blenniella gibbifrons (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)
Synonyms[2]
Alticops gibbifrons (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824 Blenniella rhessodon Reid, 1943 Istiblennius afilinuchalis Schultz & Chapman, 1960 Istiblennius gibbifrons (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824 Istiblennius gibbifrons insolitus Smith, 1959 Istiblennius gibbifrons rodenbaughi Schultz & Chapman, 1960 Istiblennius rodenbaughi Schultz & Chapman, 1960 Salarias gibbifrons Quoy & Gaimard, 1824 Salarias rutilus Jenkins, 1903 Salarias saltans Jenkins, 1903

It was first recorded by French biologists Quoy and Gaimard in 1824.^[3][4]

Biology

Blenniella gibbifrons inhabit the shallow water near the shore of intertidal reef flats. They prefer water from 0.5 to 1.5 m deep where the substrate consists of a thin carpet of algal turf and sand. They inhabit the water layer immediately above the bottom (benthic) . They are Oviparous with the eggs and young left to fend for themselves. Eggs are adhesive and are attached to the bottom by a threadlike, adhesive pad or pedestal . Larvae are planktonic and often found swimming in shallow, coastal waters.^[5][6]