Convict blenny

Tropical reef fish

Parcours précédent parcours suivant

Identity card

Convict blenny

Scientific name:: Pholidichthys leucotaenia

Family:: Pholidichthyidae

Class:: Actinopterygii

Phylum:: Chordata

Year of description:: Bleeker, 1856

IUCN Status:: Not Evaluated

CITES-status:: Not Evaluated

Distribution:: It lives in the Pacific Ocean, from the Philippines to the Flores Islands and from East Borneo to Papua New Guinea.

Habitat:: Between 1 and 50 metres deep.

Size:: It can measure up to 30 cm.

Diet:: Small crustaceans and snails

The convict blenny digs its burrow tirelessly contributing to the aeration of the substrate.

But you have to accept its flair for decoration, because it turns everything in the aquarium upside down!

The convict blenny feeds on small crustaceans and snails found in the reef, and occasionally on small fish.

The female blenny can lay between 400 and 600 eggs approximately every 7 months. Hatching appears to take place within 48 hours of laying.

did you know?

Where is the animal to be found?

The convict blenny fish inhabits coral reefs. It is found on the sandy bottoms of lagoons, coastal coral reefs and on the underside of rocky ledges. It likes to dig itself a refuge and galleries from which it only leaves to feed. It is found at depths of 1 to 50 metres.

How can it be recognised?

It has a body shape similar to that of an eel. It can measure up to 30 cm. Because their coat resembles that of the eel catfish, a species with venomous fins, they confuse their predators, who keep their distance. Then as they grow, convict blennies disperse, move closer to the sea floor, and the appearance of their coat changes.

What is distinctive about it?

They secrete threads of mucus from four adhesive glands between their eyes, which allow them to cling to the wall of their shelter at night. This prevents them from being carried away by currents.