Blenniidae

Yellowtail blenny

Cirripectes heemstraorum

Male caudal peduncle stripes

• Yellow
• Tropical
• Regional distribution
• Marine fish
• Indian Ocean
• Africa
• Fusiform
• Small
• Tropical fish

Cirripectes heemstraorum, the yellowtail blenny, is a species of combtooth blenny from the family Blenniidae. It is found in the Indian Ocean where it is known from three South African specimens and an Indonesian specimen. It is distinguished from its congeners by the nape having an extensive black flap on both sides of its neck; 10-13 cirri which are found between the neck flaps; an entire dorsal fin; 5-6 cirri above the eye, 6-8 cirri on the nose; the males have small dark spots on their body towards the tail which merge to form short black stripes on caudal peduncle, in life the females have a brilliant yellow caudal fin while in the males only the outer half of the tail is bright yellow.