BLENNIIDAE


Ecsenius midas, 6.8 cm SL
(photo by Richard Winterbottom)


Ecsenius midas
Starck, 1969
Midas Blenny

D XII, 18-21 (usually 19-20); A II, 20-23; P1 13-14 (usually 14).

Body elongate. Orbital cirrus absent. Cirrus on posterior margin of anterior nostril. Gill opening continuous across ventral surface of head. Lateral line ending below 7th to 9th dorsal spines. Dorsal fin without notch. Caudal fin deeply emarginated, lacking branched rays. Color: extremely variable, usually orangeyellow or dark slate blue; a large black spot always present in front of anus. Size: attaining to 13 cm. Distribution: ranging from the Red Sea to Marquesas Islands. Remarks: occurring on coral reefs to at least 30 m depth. (Hisashi Imamura)