10/28/2023 0 Comments Moray stripes film![]() ![]() While adult convict blennies somehow manage to flourish without ever leaving their burrow to feed, aggregations of juveniles leave their home during the day and swim farther than 50 yards (45.7 m) away while searching for plankton to feed on. school of striped catfish A school of striped eel catfish swimming as seen when diving at Puerto Galera and Dumaguete However, juvenile convict blennies usually appear to be gathering in loose aggregations, while striped catfish tend to gather in tighter, more well-coordinated schools that often appear to fluidly “roll” across the sea floor. Both juvenile convict blennies and striped catfish gather in large groups. With a deep black body and long, white stripe on the top, the juveniles bear strong resemblance to striped catfish. ![]() A juvenile Convict Blenny with white stripes running from head to tail The lifestyle of the one-inch to three-inches long juvenile convict blennies is considerably different than that of the adults. Yellowbarred jawfish peeking from its burrow The combination of the appearance of an adult convict blenny, their strong “house-keeping ethic”, and fact that they live in a burrow is what causes many first-time observers to mistake convict blennies for jawfishes like this yellowbarred jawfish. With a little luck, a patient diver will sometimes have the opportunity to see repeated (although short-lived) looks at an adult that is hard at work maintaining its burrow. After “spitting out” whatever it brings to the burrow opening, an adult is quick to withdraw. The ejected matter comes from the complex maze of tunnels that create up to 20 feet (6 m) of living space in the burrow. ![]() Mature Convict Blenny clearing out mouthful of sand But daytime observations of the adults at the mouth of their burrow allow us to understand why they are candidates for a “Good Housekeeping Award” as they maintain their burrow by continuously clearing out mouthfuls of sand, coral rubble, and other debris that total up to 6.6 pounds (1 km) per day. Spending the majority of their time in the recesses of the numerous tunnels in their burrow, adults live secretive lives. With a long, slender body shaped somewhat liked those of moray eels, convict blennies live in burrows close to nearshore reefs where the seafloor is comprised of coarse sand and rubble.Īdult convict blennies, like the one pictured above, grow to a length of slightly longer than 13 inches (33 cm). Now that you know a little about who this fish is and isn’t, let’s dive into its fascinating natural history. Such is life for fish fanatics who want to be correct when identifying fishes! It is one of two species in the fish family named Pholidichthyidae. And wouldn’t you just know it, the fish is not a blenny, catfish, or goby. To further complicate things, this fish is known by at least six common names: convict blenny (most popular common name), convict goby, engineer blenny, false catfish, zebra blenny, and engineer goby. Convict Blenny coming out from its burrow while diving form Atlantis Puerto Galera and Dumaguete While the eagle-eyed dive guides at the resorts know where to look and how to find one of these bottom dwelling marvels, many divers when seeing one for the first time, mistake it as being a type of jawfish. The fish pictured here can be seen in rubble zones when diving from the Atlantis resorts in both Puerto Galera and Dumaguete. Text and images by Atlantis Photography Ambassador Marty Snyderman ![]()
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