WHATSTHATFISH
Bony fish

Atlantic Redlip Blenny

Ophioblennius atlanticus

Also known as: Atlantic Blenny, Atlantic Red-lipped Blenny, Black Blenny, Coral Blenny, Devilfish, Horseface Blenny, Redlip Blenny, Red-lipped Blenny, Reef Blenny

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2025
Handle with careLook, don't touch
Adult
@SailingBenH · ES, Spain · November 20151 / 2
01

Overview

Found amongst corals and rocks in the reef, over shallow surge zones. Very territorial, will chase away intruders.
Adults mostly stay between the surface and 20m, often in the surf and wave zone down to about 8m, and they are rarely seen as deep as 70m.

Coombtooth Blennies are the largest of blennies, found in both tropical and subtropical waters and freshwater habitats, as the name suggests they have comb like teeth lining their jaws, well suited for scraping food off hard surfaces!
Reef and rock blennies are usually territorial and have their own areas of rock pools which they skip and jump over, scraping algae from the surface of dead corals. Some male blennies have small harems of arguing females.
Males and females often have different colouring and features.

02

How to identify

Pattern
stripes
Behaviour
territorial

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

03

Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Eastern Atlantic
  • Exact location · 1
  • Country only · 1
LIVES IN

Found amongst corals and rocks in the reef, over shallow surge zones.

04

Adult photos 2

05

Discussion

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    ALL STAGES
    FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

    Deep dive

    Taxonomy

    1. kingdomAnimalia
    2. phylumChordata
    3. classTeleostei
    4. orderBlenniiformes
    5. familyBlenniidae
    6. genusOphioblennius
    7. speciesOphioblennius atlanticus (Valenciennes, 1836)

    SourcesWoRMSFishBase

    06

    More in the family

    Combtooth Blennies (Blenniidae)