Warthead Blenny, Protemblemaria bicirrus
Warthead Blenny, Protemblemaria bicurrus. An exceptional portfolio of underwater photographs taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, November 2018 to November 2023, courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuantanejo. Very productive and greatly appreciated discussions and identification support courtesy of Dr. Phil Hastings, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California. We believe that the males develop red heads when breeding.
The Warthead Blenny, Protemblemaria bicurrus, is a member of the Tube Blenny or Chaenopsidae Family, that is known in Mexico as tubícola tupido. Globally, there are only three species in the genus Protemblemaria, one of which, this species, is found in Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean.
The Warthead Blenny has an elongated body. They vary in color from yellowish-orange to pale brown, to gray to white translucent. A few fish have an orange head and a fairly uniformly colored body. The head and body are covered with numerous small white spots and there are 8 to 10 brownish saddles below the base of the dorsal fin and some fish have a midlateral row of brown blotches. Their dorsal fin has a small dark ocellated spot at the front. Their head is blunt and rounded and has two large bushy branched cirrus over each eye (for which they are named) without cirrus between the eyes; and, they the head is covered with warts which is the origin of the common name. Their anal fin has 2 spines and 23 to 25 rays, their dorsal fin has 20 to 22 spines and 14 to 16 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 14 rays.
The Warthead Blenny is found in empty barnacle shells and mollusk tubes within rocky reefs at depths up to 23 m (75 feet). They reach a maximum of 4.5 cm (1.8 inches) in length. Reproduction is oviparous with females releasing eggs which are fertilized externally by males. The Warthead Blenny is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.
The Warthead Blenny is found in all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean with the exception that they are absent from north of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur along the central and northwest coasts of Baja.
The Warthead Blenny cannot be easily confused with any other species due to its coloration and head warts.
From a conservation perspective they are currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable widely distributed populations. Due to their small stature and they are of limited interest to most with the exception of underwater photographers.