Teleostei (teleosts) >
Blenniiformes (Blennies) >
Blenniidae (Combtooth blennies) > Blenniinae
Etymology: Meiacanthus: Greek, meion = less = lessen + Greek, akantha = thorn (Ref. 45335); erdmanni: Named for Mark V. Erdmann, who collected the holotype, and in acknowledgement of his efforts
to promote conservation of the Bird's Head biodiversity hot spot and document the fishes of the region.
Eponymy: Dr Mark van Nydeck Erdmann (d: 1968) is an American reef fish expert and marine senior advisor with Conservation International Indonesia. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 3 - 65 m (Ref. 90102). Tropical; 2°S - 3°S, 134°E - 135°E
Distribution
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri
Pacific Ocean: Indonesia, West Papua Province, Cenderawasih Bay, patch reef north of Tridacna Atoll, 2°25.830'S, 134°54.409'E, 65 m, at base of steep outer reef slope (Ref. 87904).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 3.6 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 87904)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
A species of Meiacanthus (subgenus Meiacanthus) with major portion of dentary gland dorsally positioned and held in place laterally by dorsolateral flange of dentary; dorsal fin IV, 24; color pattern characterized by two mid-lateral dark stripes, and dorsal fin with a dark submarginal stripe and about 10 dark proximal blotches (Ref. 87904).
Body shape (shape guide): fusiform / normal.
Adults are found at depths of 3-15 m (Ref. 87904), but at Cenderawasih Bay they may be found at about 65 m deep (Ref. 90102). Oviparous. Eggs are demersal and adhesive (Ref. 205), and are attached to the substrate via a filamentous, adhesive pad or pedestal (Ref. 94114). Larvae are planktonic, often found in shallow, coastal waters (Ref. 94114).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Oviparous, distinct pairing (Ref. 205).
Smith-Vaniz, W.F. and G.R. Allen, 2011. Three new species of the fangblenny genus Meiacanthus from Indonesia, with color photographs and comments on other species (Teleostei: Blenniidae: Nemophini). Zootaxa 3046:39-58. (Ref. 87904)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01047 (0.00434 - 0.02525), b=3.07 (2.86 - 3.28), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.2 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
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![Image of Meiacanthus erdmanni (Erdmann\](/images/thumbnails/jpg/tn_Meerd_u0.jpg "Image of Meiacanthus erdmanni (Erdmann\")
