WHATSTHATFISH
Bony fish

Lined Rockskipper

Istiblennius lineatus

Also known as: Black-lined Blenny, Coral Blenny, Lined Blenny, Narrow-lined Blenny, Rock Blenny, Rockskipper, Rock-skipping Blenny, Thin-lined Blenny, Thin-lined Rockskipper, Tide-pool Blenny

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2026
Adult
@JarJar · Ahangama, Sri Lanka · April 20041 / 4
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Overview

Found in schools, living in cracks and holes of the reef, or skipping, over rocks and rubble, in very shallow waters, of exposed, intertidal bays, breakwaters, harbours, jetties, mangroves, and shorelines.

Combtooth Blennies are the largest family 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.

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How to identify

COLOURS

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Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Indo-Pacific, Western Central Pacific
  • Country only · 4
LIVES IN

Found in schools, living in cracks and holes of the reef, or skipping, over rocks and rubble, in very shallow waters, of exposed, intertidal bays, breakwaters, harbours, jetties, mangroves, and shorelines.

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Adult photos 4

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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. genusIstiblennius
    7. speciesIstiblennius lineatus (Valenciennes, 1836)

    SourcesWoRMSFishBase

    06

    More in the family

    Combtooth Blennies (Blenniidae)