Meiacanthus atrodorsalis (Günther, 1877)
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
Meiacanthus atrodorsalis, the forktail blenny, is a species of combtooth blenny found in coral reefs in the western Pacific ocean. This species grows to a length of 11 centimetres (4.3 in) TL. This venomous species can also be found in the aquarium trade. It is also known as the eyelash harptail-blenny, poison-fang blenny or the yellowtail poison-fang blenny.
Wikipedia contributors, Meiacanthus atrodorsalis; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:09:27.480927+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Meiacanthus atrodorsalis (Günther, 1877)
- Name authority
- (Günther, 1877)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Blenniiformes
- Family
- Blenniidae
- Genus
- Meiacanthus
- 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
- familyBlenniidae Rafinesque, 1810
- subfamilyBlenniinae Rafinesque, 1810
- genusMeiacanthus Norman, 1944
- speciesMeiacanthus atrodorsalis (Günther, 1877)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Meiacanthus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Meiacanthus abditus Smith-Vaniz, 1987 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Meiacanthus bundoon Smith-Vaniz, 1976 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Meiacanthus crinitus Smith-Vaniz, 1987 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Meiacanthus cyanopterus Smith-Vaniz & Allen, 2011 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Meiacanthus kamoharai Tomiyama, 1956 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Meiacanthus limbatus Smith-Vaniz, 1987 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Meiacanthus luteus Smith-Vaniz, 1987 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Meiacanthus mossambicus Smith, 1959 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Meiacanthus tongaensis Smith-Vaniz, 1987 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Meiacanthus urostigma Smith-Vaniz, Satapoomin & Allen, 2001 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Meiacanthus abruptus Smith-Vaniz & Allen, 2011 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Meiacanthus naevius Smith-Vaniz, 1987 | BlenniidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Petroscirtes atrodorsalis Günther, 1877 Günther, 1877 | synonym |
| Petroscirtes herlihyi Fowler, 1946 Fowler, 1946 | synonym |
| Meiacanthus atrodorsalis atrodorsalis (Günther, 1877) (Günther, 1877) | 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=279304 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:3Z2PX. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.