Combtooth Blenny Identification Guide

Key identification features

• Small, elongate, scaleless or lightly scaled body typical of rocky tide-pool fishes
• Blunt head, often bearing simple or branched cirri above the eyes and nostrils
• A row of fine, comb-like teeth along the jaw used for scraping algae off hard surfaces
• Single, long, continuous dorsal fin running nearly the full length of the back
• Pelvic fins small, reduced, and positioned well forward under the throat
• Body pattern and coloration vary widely between species but usually provide strong camouflage against rock or algae

Common look-alikes

• Triplefin blennies: dorsal fin is split into three distinct sections instead of one continuous fin
• Clinids: have a deeper body and more obvious scales than most combtooth blennies
• Gobies: possess two separate dorsal fins and often a fused pelvic sucker disc, unlike blennies

Where you'll see one

Combtooth blennies are found worldwide in shallow rocky reefs, tide pools, and rubble zones, wedging into crevices and darting between algae-covered rocks in the intertidal and shallow subtidal, often perching motionless on exposed surfaces.