Floral Blenny

The Floral blenny (Petroscirtes mitratus) is also known as the Floral Fangblenny,the Crested Sabretooth blenny and the Helmeted blenny. They are the type species of the genus Petroscirtes and were first described in 1830 by Ruppell. They are cheeky fish and will observe a diver from a distance , if one gets too close they will quickly swim into a hiding spot, where after they will turn round and open their mouth at one as if to say, come any closer and you going to get bitten.

APPEARANCE

The Floral blenny has a typical blenny shape with a blunt head which tapers down to a relatively small tail. They are almost certainly capable of lightning and darkening their colors. Over sand , the background color of the body ranges from a grey to a light brown and some specimens have a greenish tint. Generally in this environment they have a blackish line along the body going up to the eye . When they are over an algae rich area that is predominantly green/brown , the line along the body is thicker and there can be a series of dots rather than a solid line.

Floral blenny have a fringe of cirri running below the mouth presumably for sensory purposes and there are small tentacles above each eye. They grow to roughly 9 cm in length.

FLORAL BLENNY IN THE WILD

The Floral blenny is found in the sub tidal zone, which is close to shore and always submerged. They are usually but not always seen singularly but if there is one there are likely to be others in close proximity.

HABITAT

The Floral blenny occurs throughout the Indo- West Pacific, from the East African Coast and Red Sea, to Japan in the north and down to New Caladonia. They are usually found above 10 meters in the sub tidal zone, which is close to shore and always submerged. Thy always have several hiding places or holes close by.

DIET

They feed mainly on algae and eat by using the lower jaw to bite onto the algae while the upper jaw (with the comb like appendages) scrapes algae into its mouth.

REPRODUCTION

Not much is known of the reproduction, however distinct pairing takes place and the eggs are

AQUARIUMS

They are kept by some aquarists but do not seem common in the trade, probably due to their comparatively dull looks. They would probably be relatively easy to keep and feed and if their curious behavior in the wild is anything to go by then they would have plenty of personality.