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Exhibit
See the Midas blenny at Two Oceans Aquarium in this exhibit:
Midas blenny Ecsenius midas
Fast facts
- Conservation status: Least Concern
- Named for their distinctive bright golden colour
- Can change colour to fit in with other fish they school with
- Occur off the east coast of South Africa, but not the west coast, where it is too cold for them
Blennies are tiny fish, just a few centimetres long, and the species are often difficult to tell apart from one another. But the Midas blenny (Ecsenius midas), also commonly known as the Golden blenny, Lyretail blenny and the Lyre-tail combtooth-blenny, is more easily identifiable because of its bright golden colour.
According to www.fishbase.org, Midas blennies occur mostly along reefs in tropical areas all over the world, including in Indonesia, Australia and in Central and South America.
They are found along the east coast of Southern Africa, and in the Indian Ocean around Madagascar, but not in the colder Atlantic.
They grow to a maximum length of about 13cm, and are popular with aquarists, as they thrive in tanks.
To an extent, these fish also have chameleon-like qualities. Fishbase.org reports that “individuals of Ecsenius midas can change colour quickly from when on the bottom to swimming in open water, to match the colours of the fish they mix with”.
Midas blennies feed on zooplankton.