Species Fact Profile: Sarcastic Fringehead (Neoclinus blanchardi)

                                                         Sarcastic Fringehead

                                           Neoclinus blanchardi (Girard, 1858)

Range:  Pacific Coast of North America, from central California south to Baja California

Habitat: Sandy or Muddy-Bottomed Coastal Waters, up to 75 meters deep

Diet: Plankton, Crustaceans, Squid Eggs

Social Grouping: Solitary.  Territorial

Reproduction: Spawn from January through August.  Female lays about 3000 eggs in a sheltered location (generally the shelter of a male), which are guarded by male until they hatch

Lifespan: 6 Years

      Conservation Status: IUCN Least Concern

• Up to 30 centimeters long, weigh about 300 gram.  Slender build with large pectoral funs, small pelvic fins.  Loose folds of skin on the face are fringes of the common name.  Largest member of the blenny family
• Skin is largely scaleless.  Body color varies from warm brown to gray with dark blotches.  Blue eyespot on the dorsal fin
• Males can open their mouths extremely wide, revealing brightly colored interior (blue with yellow lining) with some fluorescence.  When the mouth is open (expanding its apparent size four-fold), it serves to intimidate both rival fringeheads and potential predators
• Often found in crevices, with only their heads exposed (will readily take shelter inside man-made objects, such as bottles and cans).  Females may select males based on the quality of their shelter.  Very protective of shelters and will often fight over access - an unsheltered fringehead is very vulnerable to predators
• Feed by charging from their burrows and sucking down small prey - the large gape of the males is actually an impediment to effective feeding
• Largely ignored by fishermen due to small size and aggressive nature, will readily bite if handled (their common name refers to the original meaning of "sarcastic," from the Greek for "to tear flesh" - the mouth has several needle-sharp teeth)