blenny

English

A blenny.

Wikispecies

Etymology

From Latin blennius, blendius, from Ancient Greek βλεννός (blennós, “mucus, slime”) (whence Modern Greek βλέννα (vlénna)), because of its slimy coating. From Proto-Indo-European *mel- (“soft”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈblɛni/
• Rhymes: -ɛni

• Audio (Southern England)

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Noun

blenny (plural blennies)

1. A true blenny, any of various marine fishes from the suborder Blennioidei or order Blenniiformes that are generally small and elongated which dwell on the sea floor, including scaled and scaleless forms and dramatically divergent appearance, in several families.
   1. Blenniidae (combtooth blennies)
   2. Chaenopsidae (pikeblennies, tubeblennies, and flagblennies)
   3. Clinidae (weedfishes)
   4. Dactyloscopidae (sand stargazers)
   5. Labrisomidae (labrisomids)
   6. Tripterygiidae (triple-fin blennies)
2. A number of fish of similar appearance not closely related.
   1. bartail blenny (Platycephalus indicus, in family Pseudochromidae)
   2. viviparous blenny (Zoarces viviparus, in family Zoarcidae)
   3. convict blenny/engineer blenny (Pholidichthys leucotaenia, in family Pholidichthyidae)
   4. scooter blenny (Neosynchiropus ocellatus, in family Callionymidae)

Derived terms

• blackflap blenny
• eel-blenny
• freckled blenny
• Japanese snake blenny
• jewelled blenny
• kappie blenny
• Montagu's blenny
• tompot blenny

 

Translations

fish of Blenniodei

• Catalan: bavosa (ca) f
• Finnish: limakala (fi)
• French: blennie (fr) f
• Galician: lorcha f, mógaro (gl) m
• German: Schleimfischartiger m
• Greek: βλέννος m (vlénnos)
• Italian: bavosa (it) f
• Portuguese: blênio m
• Russian: морска́я соба́чка f (morskája sobáčka)