Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Malacoctenus tetranemus
Trambollo pintado, trambollo moteado, trambollo pintado, Speckled clinid, throatspotted blenny
Color highly variable earthtones. Numerous dark spots on underside of head; rows of dark spots on translucent fins. Can pale, darken and/or change color rapidly. Reaches lenghts to 56 mm.
Habitat: Shallow waters; inhabit rocky, boulder strewn areas and walls.
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Teleostei
Order
Blenniiformes
Suborder
Blennioidei
Family
Labrisomidae
Genus
Malacoctenus
Species
tetranemus
Taxon category: Accepted
Syn.: Blennius tetranemus Cope, 1877, Labrisomus afuerae Hildebrand, 1946, Malacoctenus afuerae (Hildebrand, 1946), Malacoctenus afuerae multipunctatus Springer, 1959 (Horton et al., 2021).
Origin: Native
Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.
Distribution: Eastern Pacific, from the Gulf of California to Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador including Galapagos, Peru and Chile
- Appeltans, W. Bouchet, P., Boxshall, G.A., Fauchald, K., Gordon, D.P., Hoeksema, B.W., Poore, G.C.B., van Soest, R.W.M., Stöhr, S., Walter, T.C., Costello, M.J. (eds.) (2010) World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Available online at http://www.marinespecies.org.
- Banks, S. Vera, M. & Chiriboga, A. (2009) Establishing Reference Points to Assess Long-Term Change in Zooxanthellate Coral Communities of the Northern Galapagos Coral Reefs. J. Sci. Conserv. in the Galapagos Islands, p. 43-64.
- Edgar, G.J. Fariña, J.M., Calvopiña, M., Martínez, C. & Banks, S. (2002) Comunidades submareales rocosas II: Peces y macroinvertebrados móviles. In: Danulat, E. & Edgar, G.J. (eds.) (2002): Reserva Marina de Galápagos. Línea Base de la Biodiversidad. Fundación Charles Darwin/Servicio Parque Nacional Galápagos, Santa Cruz, Galápagos, Ecuador, p. 68-97.
- Grove, J.S. Lavenberg, R.J. (1997) The Fishes of the Galapagos Islands. Stanford University Press, Stanford California. 862 pp.
- Horton, T. Horton, T., Kroh, A., Ahyong, S., Bailly, N., Boyko, C. B., Brandão, S. N., Gofas, S., Hooper, J. N. A., Hernandez, F., Holovachov, O., Mees, J., Molodtsova, T. N., Paulay, G., Decock, W., Dekeyzer, S., Poffyn, G., Vandepitte, L., Vanhoorne, B., Adlard, R., ... Zhao, Z. (2021) World Register of Marine Species. Available from https://www.marinespecies.org at VLIZ.
- Humann, P. Deloach, N. (2003) Reef Fish Identification - Galapagos. New World Publication, Inc. Florida USA & Libri Mundi, Quito, Ecuador, 226 pp.
- IUCN (2010) IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 26 April 2010.
- McCosker, J.E. Rosenblatt, R.H. (2010) The fishes of the Galápagos Archipelago: an update. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sc., Ser. 4, vol. 61, Suppl. II, no. 11: 167-195.
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Malacoctenus tetranemus", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=7689. Accessed 8 June 2026.