Fish
Midas Blenny
Ecsenius midas · also called golden blenny
Swimming confidently among a school of orange anthias, a Midas blenny blends in almost perfectly, its colour and movement close enough to the surrounding fish that a casual observer, predator or prey alike, might never notice the disguise.
Overview
The Midas blenny, Ecsenius midas, is native to ocean and coastal reef habitat across the Indo-Pacific region and the Red Sea. Its convincing mimicry of nearby anthias schools, unusual open-water swimming habit for a blenny, and variable colour forms make it one of the most behaviourally distinctive blennies found on Indo-Pacific and Red Sea reefs.
A disguise borrowed from the neighbours
Rather than relying on the bottom-dwelling, burrow-sheltering lifestyle typical of most blennies, the Midas blenny instead borrows both the appearance and the open-water habits of a completely different fish, hiding in plain sight among a crowd it does not actually belong to.
Status
Least Concern, remaining widespread across suitable reef habitat throughout the Indo-Pacific region and the Red Sea.
Midas Blenny: common questions
Why does the Midas blenny look so much like an anthias?
It closely mimics the orange colouring and swimming behaviour of nearby anthias schools, a disguise that may help it approach prey or avoid predators without being noticed as a different species.
Does the Midas blenny behave like other blennies?
Not entirely; unlike most blennies, which stay close to the bottom or shelter in a burrow, the Midas blenny swims openly in the water column alongside the anthias it resembles.
Does the Midas blenny always look the same colour?
No, it can appear in more than one colour form, including an all-yellow form and a blue-and-yellow form, in addition to its anthias-mimicking orange colouring.
Where is the Midas blenny found?
It is native to ocean and coastal reef habitat across the Indo-Pacific region and the Red Sea.