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Yellow-lined Sabretooth Blenny
Petroscirtes fallax Smith-Vaniz, 1976
A Yellow-lined Sabretooth Blenny guarding its eggs. Photograph taken at a depth of 8 m, Fly Point Marine Reserve, Port Stephens, New South Wales, March 2007. Photo © D. & L. Atkinson. View larger image.
Above and below: A Yellow-lined Sabretooth Blenny at a depth of 5 m, Gordon's Bay, Sydney, New South Wales, February 2003. Photo © E. Schlögl. View larger image.
A Yellow-lined Sabretooth Blenny at a depth of 4 m, Clifton Gardens, Sydney Harbour, March 2007. Photo © S. Schulz. View larger image.
The Yellow-lined Sabretooth Blenny has an elongate body and a blunt downward-pointing snout. It has a single long-based dorsal fin. The mouth can be opened very wide to expose a pair of large curved canines at the front of the lower jaw.
The species is yellow above and white below. There are three dark stripes on the head and body.
It grows to 10 cm in length.
The Yellow-lined Sabretooth Blenny is endemic to Australia. It occurs in coral reefs and sheltered coastal bays and estuaries from northern Queensland to southern New South Wales.
This species may be a mimic of the venomous Lined Fangblenny Meiacanthus lineatus.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Related links
- Brown Sabretooth Blenny fact sheet
- View the Family Blenniidae list
- View the Blennies list
Further reading
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
