Roatan mystery Starksia

I found a blenny that I can't find in the Reef fish ID book and the Reefnet DVD. I found it around 40-50ft depth on a ledge of a vertical wall along the south-side of Roatan (Parrot tree site). It may be one of the unnamed species but thought I'd post here.

Here is another shot showing the snout from the side. The fish is about 2cm long.

Bart

Ah... These are so hard without the specimen at hand, but I will send your photos to a blenny specialist friend of mine.

Thanks Luis!

Bart

They are hard even with the specimen in hand!!

We have a paper describing 7 new Starksia in the Caribbean coming out soon, and they still stump me half the time. I have seen photos of similar Starksia blennies from multiple sites, with and without the big white splotches. I am thinking the white can come and go and that these are the local species of the Starksia lepicoelia superspecies- in the NW Caribbean region the new species Starksia weigti.

Ben

Benjamin Victor

www.coralreeffish.com

Update on Starksia- Our paper on new species of Starksia is out- download at www.coralreeffish.com.

This Starksia photo is S. nanodes- the dwarf blenny.

The blackcheek blenny, S. lepicoelia, from the Bay of Honduras is now S. weigti and does not have the white blotches and does have spotted lips.

Ben

www.coralreeffish.com

Thanks Ben, good to see you here!

Thanks Ben, good to see you here!

I usually just stumble across the forum- i need to make a regular visit!