Ophioblennius atlanticus (Valenciennes, 1836)
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
Ophioblennius atlanticus, also known as the redlip blenny and the horseface blenny, is a species of combtooth blenny, family Blenniidae, found primarily in the western central Atlantic ocean. Redlip blennies can be found in coral crests and shallow fringing reefs. They are highly territorial and attack intruders with two long, sharp canine teeth. The adults are found at depths of 10 to 20 meters, and the eggs are benthic. The adults may reach up to four inches in length when fully grown, and they have large reddish lips, from which they attained their names. Redlip blennies largely feed on algae.
Wikipedia contributors, Ophioblennius atlanticus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:25:39.353352+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Ophioblennius atlanticus (Valenciennes, 1836)
- Name authority
- (Valenciennes, 1836)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Blenniiformes
- Family
- Blenniidae
- Genus
- Ophioblennius
- 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
- subfamilySalariinae Gill, 1859
- genusOphioblennius Gill, 1860
- speciesOphioblennius atlanticus (Valenciennes, 1836)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Ophioblennius. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Ophioblennius clippertonensis Springer, 1962 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| redlip blennyOphioblennius macclurei (Silvester, 1915) | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ophioblennius trinitatis Miranda Ribeiro, 1919 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Panamic fanged blennyOphioblennius steindachneri Jordan & Evermann, 1898 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Rupiscartes atlanticus (Valenciennes, 1836) (Valenciennes, 1836) | synonym |
| Scartichthys atlanticus (Valenciennes, 1836) (Valenciennes, 1836) | synonym |
| Blennophis webbii Valenciennes, 1843 Valenciennes, 1843 | synonym |
| Ophioblennius atlanticus atlanticus (Valenciennes, 1836) (Valenciennes, 1836) | synonym |
| Ophioblennius webbii (Valenciennes, 1843) (Valenciennes, 1843) | synonym |
| Cynoscartes atlanticus (Valenciennes, 1836) (Valenciennes, 1836) | synonym |
| Salarias atlanticus Valenciennes, 1836 Valenciennes, 1836 | synonym |
| Blennius atlanticus (Valenciennes, 1836) (Valenciennes, 1836) | synonym |
| Blennophis webbi Valenciennes, 1843 Valenciennes, 1843 | 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=126769 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:49VWJ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.