Name
Patagonian Blenny
Description
Scientific name: Eleginops maclovinus
Weight and measures: Average size depends on the environment and also the fishing pressure that suffers each specimen. Given those two factors, they can weigh between 2 kg and 6 kg. There have been some exceptions of specimens weighing 8 kg and measuring 90 cm.
Distribution: It is found in coastal and estuarine habitats around southernmost South America, ranging as far north as Valparaíso on the Pacific side, and Uruguay on the Atlantic side. It is also found around the Falkland Islands. As a demersal benthonic fish, it lives in shallow waters, estuaries and rivers.
Habitat and life cycle: It stands out as a valuable sport fly fishing species. It lives in coastal areas, mostly in shallow waters. Juveniles are commonly found in the mouths of small rivers in shallow waters, whereas the adults have a marine-coastal distribution. They live mainly on sandy bottoms, in estuaries where they feed and reproduce.
As regards reproduction, it was discovered that in the Beagle Channel it chooses tide pools to deposit their eggs in small cavities previously built on the sandy bottom. Once the larvae hatch, they are characterized by their pigmented front of the body, plus the transversal stripe in the back.
Physiognomy: It has a spindle-shaped, robust and slightly compressed body with a small terminal and protractile mouth lined with thin lips. Its head is relatively small if compared with the rest of the body and the scales cover the entire body (except the "snout" and suborbital part). It has two dorsal fins close together. Only the dorsal fin has bones; the caudal fin is truncated, brown with yellow distal parts. The anal fin has a short base if compared to the second dorsal, but they are both pale brown. The pectoral fins, located in the middle of the flanks, are rounded and elevated in the base, and the rear end is beyond the level of the beginning of the anal fin. Finally, the ventral fins are inserted in front of the pectoral fins, and are much shorter than them. This fish has is dark blue-gray on the back becoming brighter to silvery white in the flanks and in the ventral area. It is rare but not impossible to find specimens with thick and vertical dark bands from the back toward the belly.
Diet: It is an omnivore, tending towards carnivore. Their diet consists mainly in benthonic invertebrates such as small crustaceans and mollusks.
