Devilfish
Ophioblennius atlanticus
- Usual depth4–14 m
- Water temperature19–29 °C
- Best monthsJuly, August, and December
- How commonOccasional
Photo credit: (c) Ben Jobson, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Ben Jobson · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
Ophioblennius atlanticus, also known as the redlip blenny and the horseface blenny, is a species of combtooth blenny, family Blenniidae, found primarily in the western central Atlantic ocean. Redlip blennies can be found in coral crests and shallow fringing reefs. They are highly territorial and attack intruders with two long, sharp canine teeth. The adults are found at depths of 10 to 20 meters, and the eggs are benthic. The adults may reach up to four inches in length when fully grown, and they have large reddish lips, from which they attained their names. Redlip blennies largely feed on algae.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Ophioblennius atlanticus”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 49 records
- February: 59 records
- March: 88 records
- April: 90 records
- May: 79 records
- June: 128 records
- July: 159 records
- August: 196 records
- September: 119 records
- October: 144 records
- November: 64 records
- December: 162 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 4–14 m · Deepest record: 29.6 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 19–29 °C
Photos
(c) Donald Davesne, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Lawrence Troup, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
(c) Charlotte Kirchner, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist 
(c) Phill Robinson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Julien Renoult, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Devilfish, East Atlantic Redlip Blenny, Redlip Blenny, Rock-skipper
Names in 3 more languages
- German
- Rotlippen-Schleimfisch
- Spanish
- Blénido Lucio, Blenio del Atlántico
- French
- Blennie atlantique
Other scientific names: Blennius atlanticus, Blennophis webbi, Blennophis webbii, Cynoscartes atlanticus, Ophioblennius webbii, Rupiscartes atlanticus, Salarias atlanticus, Scartichthys atlanticus
Similar species
fringe blennyParablennius pilicornis
Mimic blennyAspidontus taeniatus
Black BlennyAtrosalarias holomelas
Bluespotted BlennyBlenniella chrysospilos
Blue-dashed rockskipperBlenniella periophthalmus
Chestnut blennyCirripectes castaneus
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 1,344 open-data records from 1895 to 2023.
- Species data updated November 5, 2026.
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