Blennies & Co.

Blennies are both shy and endlessly curious. The often stay in one area, sometimes in groups. When frightened they retreat to a deserted worm burrow or crevice. If a diver waits patiently, and stays absolutely still, they will come out and start grazing on algae or hunt invertebrates. They move around their revier and will often sit on a lookout point where they can spot on-coming danger.

Midas Blennies (Ecsenius midas) will often swim together with groups of Anthias species in congregations close to the outcrops where they live. Their colouration is close to that of some Anthias species, and they even mimic their way of swimming. Presumably they gain protection through the high number of Anthias and thus get better access to invertebrate plankton.

This group is unusual as some species have a poisonous bite, and other species mimic the poisonous ones. Yet other species mimic cleaner fish, but instead of cleaning other fish, they take a bite out of fish seeking cleaning services.

Dragonets are small, scaleless, and mostly under 15cm long. The males are usually colourful, with a dorsal fin that can be erected either as a mating display or as a warning.

Mandarinfish (Synchiropus splendidus) is the best known of the species. It's spectacular colours and elaborate mating display at sundown are well known by divers.

These small, scaleless fish are characterised by a suction disk on their underside. Discotrema species live commensally with featherstars. Diademichthys, with it's elongate body, often shelters in long-spined sea urchins, though young specimens are often seen swimming freely around corals.

The dorsal fin of these blenny-like fish is divided into 3, hence the name. In reef environments, they are often seen on patches of short-cropped algae, or on small, plate-forming sponges.