Zvonimir's Blenny
Parablennius zvonimiri
Zvonimir's Blenny (Parablennius zvonimiri) is a small, bottom-dwelling combtooth blenny of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. It lives on shallow rocky reefs and mixed bottoms, where it perches on the substrate and picks small prey from algae and crevices.
Identification points
- Short, blunt blenny body with a single long dorsal fin
- Mottled brown to olive coloration that blends with rocks and algae
- Tassel-like tentacles or cirri above the eyes, typical of combtooth blennies
Habitat
Shallow coastal rocky reefs, boulder fields, seaweed-covered ledges, and mixed rock-and-sand bottoms; typically very close to shore in the littoral zone, often among algae and sheltering in cracks.
Bait notes
Not a targeted game fish and has little value to anglers. If caught incidentally, small pieces of worm, shrimp, or tiny baited hooks may take it, but artificial lure fishing is not practical.
Behavior
A sedentary, territorial blenny that rests on the bottom or on rocks and darts out to pick tiny benthic invertebrates and algae-associated food. It is usually seen singly or in small numbers, hugging cover rather than roaming open water.
Caution
Small spiny dorsal fin can prick fingers when unhooking; handle carefully. No major consumption or toxin concern is well documented for this species, but it is not a common food fish.
Fishing notes
Best avoided by anglers targeting other shore species; it is usually hooked incidentally on very small bottom rigs in rocky shallows. Use barbless hooks and release quickly if accidentally caught.