Sarcastic fringehead
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Blenniiformes
Family:	Chaenopsidae
Genus:	Neoclinus
Species:	N. blanchardi
Binomial name
Neoclinus blanchardi Girard, 1858

The sarcastic fringehead (Neoclinus blanchardi) is a small but hardy saltwater fish that possesses a large mouth and aggressive territorial behavior, for which it has been given its common name.^[2]

They can be up to 30 centimetres (12 in) long,^[3] elegant and slender,^[2] and are mostly scaleless with great pectoral fins and reduced pelvic fins. The swimming movements of these fish are complicated. Their swimming mainly consists of short dart-like movements.^[4]

They are typically brown in color. Sarcastic fringeheads are a species of tube blenny and tend to hide inside shells or crevices, though some have been found living in man-made objects, such as soda cans.^[5] After the female spawns under a rock or in clam burrows, the male guards the eggs. During squid spawning season, they can consume large numbers of squid eggs.

The specific name honours Dr. S. B. Blanchard of San Diego, California, who collected specimens of this blenny, and passed them on to Charles Frédéric Girard, who described it.^[6]

Distribution

They are found in the Pacific, off the coast of North America, from San Francisco, California, to central Baja California. Their depth range is from 3 to 73 metres (10 to 240 ft).^[3]

Behaviors

When two fringeheads have a territorial scuffle, they wrestle by pressing their distended mouths against each other, in a kissing motion. They press against each other until one is able to bite the other's head.^[7] This allows them to determine which is the larger fish, which establishes dominance.^[8] This is thought to be male-male competition for shelter.