Locations to Collect Chasmodes Blennies?
- Thread starter Josh Carter
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Chasmodes
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Sorry Chris, for some reason I missed this post. Jonah's Aquarium is the manufacturer. Mark Binkley is the owner. He builds the nets himself and everything is heavy duty. He sells native FW and some brackish fish too.
The nets are a little more expensive than the typical bait shop brands, but, they are much more heavy duty and pay for themselves over a short period of time, after a couple off the shelf ones wear out.
The nets are a little more expensive than the typical bait shop brands, but, they are much more heavy duty and pay for themselves over a short period of time, after a couple off the shelf ones wear out.
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Josh Carter
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@chris85 Not sure how I wasn't notified about these posts. That blenny in question is definitely an Orange-spotted blenny (H. springeri). No question. You said you caught it on the gulf inshore on the Texas coast? Where specifically did you catch it? I've recently collected samples from some nearshore platforms off Louisiana. They've not been reported in the Northern Gulf before so it's definitely interesting. Of course they may have been here the whole time and just mis-ID'd as tessellateds. Did you catch this offshore or along the coast. That's a big deal if you caught it on the coast.
We should definitely go collect sometime. I'd be interested in checking out some of you Chasmodes sites that I haven't been to before. Also, just fyi, because I find this a lot simply because it persists in the literature and on popular websites, the "crested" blennies you listed up top in your second post are actually featherduster blennies (Hypleurochilus multifilis) or on the rare occasion zebratail blennies (H. caudovittatus). Cresteds (H. geminatus) is only on the east coast. I thought the same thing for years because that's what a lot of sources say but they're not here. Not sure how that misinformation got spread in the first place but when in doubt check out the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's Caribbean Shorefishes webpage for the most accurate info. It's not 100% perfect but it is curated by scientists, namely Ross Robertson, a big name in ichthyology. I love the site. Use it all the time. Some errors in distribution must be corrected, especially if the info is decades old. H. caudovittatus for example is said not to extend all the way over to Texas but I'm confident it does. I have specimens that to me are obviously zebratails. The genetics need to be done on that group. They could be a tangled mess and the zebratail species may not even be supported in the first place but we'll see.
Chasmodes
Well-Known Member
Do you know of any sites like this for the Temperate Atlantic that are this comprehensive and accurate? I've been basically looking at this site for species supposedly found and recorded in the Chesapeake Bay. I'm not sure how accurate it really is though.
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/documents/3684/13_species2007.pdf
Thanks josh on the info for the crested I am not the best at identifying fish as of now. I use the tamug website for common fish here.
The orange spot was caught on the Jetty across from academy about 9:30 at night in about 2 ft of water. One rock in from the water. It was slightly choppy wind out the south on a falling tide. I can confirm catching three of them. I still have two in my tanks. I have probably caught more I just don't like to keep the really small ones and just threw them back not knowing what they were.
The orange spot was caught on the Jetty across from academy about 9:30 at night in about 2 ft of water. One rock in from the water. It was slightly choppy wind out the south on a falling tide. I can confirm catching three of them. I still have two in my tanks. I have probably caught more I just don't like to keep the really small ones and just threw them back not knowing what they were.
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Josh Carter
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Wow that's crazy! Do you still have them? I have caught hundreds of featherduster and and few zebratails from the groins here in Galveston but never orange-spotted. How recently have you caught them? I know you're probably attached to them but would you consider giving them up so my lab can tissue them for genetic research? I'm really interested in seeing what's going on with the Genus as a whole. This is an important find. Those fish have not been reported in the Northern Gulf and it's an even bigger deal that they're now on the coast which means they could establish a population in Texas now since we are really the only coast in the Northern Gulf with consistent hard-bottom jetty and groin habitat along our beaches.
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Josh Carter
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Not that I'm aware of. I wish Ross would expand the range of the website to include the east coast since a few of the species from the south occur in your area. I may ask him to do so just so sightings can be reported on there. The pdf is probably pretty accurate but good luck finding the seaweed. You'd have to dive for them and they're probably vagrants carried up during the summer and may or may not die off in the winter who knows.
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Josh Carter
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Ya! IMO the best looking Hypleurochilus in the Genus. ;Stig
I caught them within the last few months. I have probably caught them before but I dont like to keep the small ones off the jetty but I will be checking them very well from here on out. I am attached to the ones I have now and probably couldnt get them out if I wanted to. One of them is not Doing so hot so if he takes a turn for the worst I will let you know. I am going to try and go back out this weekend if I get time if I get anymore you will be the second to know. I did promise one to one of our local reefers so you have second dibs.
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Josh Carter
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Okay no worries. If you get anymore, keep all of them no matter how small. I've been out collecting last week but didn't get any of them. May get too fresh for them now idk. I imagine they are being supplied by the offshore rigs and it'll be the end of the breeding season soon so we many have a small window to find them. I'll continue collecting every week as well.
As for the featherduster and I assume you mean the crested? You have to look a the preopercule sensory pores which are not easy to see and count and there's quite a bit a variability in number. Geminatus will have sets of 2 whereas Multifilis will have clusters of 5 or more. It's really just a matter of where they occur. Again, population genetics need to be done on them.
Stupid auto correct I ment the zebratail not central.
I caught my first orange spot at the beginning of summer during the morning before the whistle blowers showed up. I didn't even realize it until I was feeding one day and two orange spots popped out of the rocks. I then went again about a month ago and caught the one I just posted. I will keep any that I catch for you. You just have to keep me updated with your research please. Anything else you guys are looking for?
I caught my first orange spot at the beginning of summer during the morning before the whistle blowers showed up. I didn't even realize it until I was feeding one day and two orange spots popped out of the rocks. I then went again about a month ago and caught the one I just posted. I will keep any that I catch for you. You just have to keep me updated with your research please. Anything else you guys are looking for?
Chasmodes
Well-Known Member
Jeremy, I know that you are looking for someone to collect near you. I'm no where near you (from Maryland). I usually don't collect up here until the water warms a bit. The Bay temps are about 55 degrees, and I don't think that the blennies move shallow until it gets into the mid 60's. We need a week of temps in the 80's to get that done, and it looks like it will happen this week. I may be collecting soon (fingers crossed). I don't know when the blennies show up down your way. Good luck if you go.
Is your FB page Wetlands Outdoors? If so, Nice work!
Is your FB page Wetlands Outdoors? If so, Nice work!
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