Emblemaria nivipes

Species infomation

Distinctive features:

1. Females with orange bands on lower head and belly.
2. Females with orange-ringed dark blotch on upper front dorsal fin.
3. Males dark brown with white upper body.
4. Males with first dorsal spine white with black stripes.

Physical description:

Nasal cirri lightly branched. Orbital cirri may have long branches, short ones or have none.
Males: elevated front of dorsal fin very circular.
Females: first dorsal spine elevated, ~2x length of following ones.

Colouration:

Iris deep pink or red. Orbital cirri white with brown stripes.
Females: white with lots of brown spots and blotches on upper head and body. Row of ~8 horizontally elongate brown blotches along midflank. Another row of ~7 dark brown blotches on posterior lower body. White belly with wide orange bands. Orange bands on throat and lips. Bands on lips reach to under eye. Dorsal fin with at front with orange and blue stripes which continue throughout. Large orange-bordered black/blue blotch on upper front of dorsal fin - may be multiple.
Males: dark brown with white on upper body. Dark brown blotches on head and upper body. Row of white dots along midflank. Dorsal fin dark white upper front blue and blue spots throughout. First spine white with thin black stripes. Dorsal, anal and caudal fin with white outer edge.

Size:

Reaches 4.2 cm.

Habitat:

Found in empty holes on sandy bottoms with rubble.