This is Exallias brevis or Spotted Coral Blennies
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These beautiful fish are spotted coral blennies, Exallias brevis.
They are often referred to as Leopard blennies or short-bodied blennies. In Hawaii, we call them Pāo’o ‘o kauila and they are often confused with gobies. In ancient times, these fish were often part of Hawaiian legends/history and were evened considered ‘aumākua (the embodiment of ancestors) to some. The Blenny family include over 300 different species.
The spotted blenny often perch motionless on live coral. It is covered with clusters of hexagonal spots. The spots are reddish in males and tend to be more brown to yellowish in females. The coloration in this photo is indicative of 2 males perhaps confronting one another during spawning/mating time. Males will clear a coral patch to allow females to come and lay their eggs. The eggs are usually a yellowish color. The male will stand guard and watch and protect the eggs until they hatch.
They eat coral and will often leave small little mouth marks or white spots on the coral. They spend 90% of their day just sitting in the open and looking around. While this is common in Hawaii, it is not common in other parts of the Indo-Pacific where they will usually shelter in the branches of coral to hide. My favorite feature is their funny little eyelashes…lol…
The image above was taken during a Private Ocean Project Maui Snorkel Tour.
This colorful image was taken off a West Maui Beach by the dedicated staff of Ocean Project Maui. They offer custom, private snorkel tours around the island of Maui, Hawaii. Each #COLORSOFTHEOCEAN image you see in our monthly blog, was captured during a private guided snorkel tour. These amazing images, as well as images above and below the water of the clients/supporters are included in every tour at no additional cost.
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