barfin blenny
Malacoctenus versicolor (Poey, 1876)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Malacoctenus versicolor, the Barfin blenny, is a species of labrisomid blenny native to the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea from southern Florida through the Antilles. It is an inhabitant of coral reefs preferring areas of rock or sand at depths of from near the surface to 7 metres (23 ft). This species can reach a length of 7.6 centimetres (3.0 in) TL.
Wikipedia contributors, Malacoctenus versicolor; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:32:31.837163+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Malacoctenus versicolor (Poey, 1876)
- Name authority
- (Poey, 1876)
- Common name
- barfin blenny
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Blenniiformes
- Family
- Labrisomidae
- Genus
- Malacoctenus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderBlenniiformes
- familyLabrisomidae Clark Hubbs, 1952
- genusMalacoctenus Gill, 1860
- speciesMalacoctenus versicolor (Poey, 1876)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Malacoctenus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| diamond blennyMalacoctenus boehlkei Springer, 1959 | LabrisomidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Malacoctenus carrowi Wirtz, 2014 | LabrisomidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| fishgod blennyMalacoctenus ebisui Springer, 1959 | LabrisomidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| dusky blennyMalacoctenus gilli (Steindachner, 1867) | LabrisomidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| redside blennyMalacoctenus hubbsi Springer, 1959 | LabrisomidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| rosy blennyMalacoctenus macropus (Poey, 1868) | LabrisomidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Malacoctenus polyporosus Springer, 1959 | LabrisomidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| throatspotted blennyMalacoctenus tetranemus (Cope, 1877) | LabrisomidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| saddled blennyMalacoctenus triangulatus Springer, 1959 | LabrisomidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Malacoctenus zonogaster Heller & Snodgrass, 1903 | LabrisomidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Malacoctenus lianae Carvalho-Filho, Almeida, Britto, Dias & Lima, 2020 | LabrisomidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Malacoctenus zaluari Carvalho-Filho, Gasparini & Sazima, 2020 | LabrisomidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Myxodes versicolor Poey, 1876 Poey, 1876 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=281504 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3XKJR. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.