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Brown Sabretooth Blenny
Petroscirtes lupus (De Vis, 1886)
The Brown Sabretooth Blenny is recognised by its blunt downward-pointing snout, white spots, dark lateral blotches which are separated by lighter areas, and its long-based dorsal fin.
As its common name suggests, this species has a pair of long, recurved canines in the front of the lower jaw.
The Brown Sabretooth Blenny is recorded from Queensland to southern New South Wales plus New Caledonia. It lives in sheltered bays and estuaries, and is often seen inside shells, bottles or cans.
This species grows to 13cm in length.
Female Brown Sabretooth Blennies often lay their eggs in empty mollusc shells (view image). The eggs take about three weeks to hatch. During this time the males are sometimes seen guarding and fanning the eggs.
Further reading
- Kuiter, R.H. in Gomon, M.F, Glover, C.J.M. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-Eastern Australia. Crawford House Press. 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.
