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Seram Blenny
Salarias ceramensis Bleeker, 1852
A Seram Blenny at a depth of 10m, between "Pams Point" and "Heron Bommie", Heron Island, southern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, October 2003. Note that this fish was photographed well south of its recorded geographic range. View larger image.
The Seram Blenny shows considerable variation in colour across its geographic range. The top image shows a fish from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. It is brown with white spots on the body and a series of large dark spots on the upper sides.
The second image shows an unusually coloured fish from Malaysia. It has a black body with mottled green spots on the head, extending onto the first third of the body. The pectoral fins are black with red membranes. This unusual colouration may result from the "emotional state" of the fish. It could be a response to stress.
This species grows to 15cm in length.
The Seram Blenny is usually seen resting on rubble on inshore coral reefs.
It is found in depths from 1m to 30m.
This species occurs in tropical marine waters of the Western Pacific, from the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea and Australia.
In Australia it is known from the northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Kuiter, R.H. & T. Tonozuka. 2001. Indonesian Reef Fishes. Zoonetics. Seaford, Victoria. 3 parts, Pp. 900.
- Springer, V. G. 2001. Blenniidae. in Carpenter, K.E. & V.H. Niem (Eds). FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 6. Bony Fishes part 4 (Labridae to Latimeriidae), estuarine crocodiles, sea turtles, sea snakes and marine mammals. FAO, Rome. Pp. iii-v, 3381-4218.
Copyright © Australian Museum, 2006
Page researched and compiled by
K. Parkinson & M. McGrouther, July 2003.
Thank you to J.Williams and V. Springer
(USNM) for identification of the fish in the images.
