Creature Feature: Spotted Coral Blenny

Spotted coral blennie. Photo Credit: Claire Fackler, NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries

Spotted Coral Blenny (Exallias brevis, Pāoʻo ʻo kauila in Hawaiian) are a fun underwater sight in the coral reefs of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. They feed exclusively on living coral and leave small mouth marks on the reef. Male shortbodied blennies clear a small patch of coral, which females then lay their eggs upon for the males to guard until they hatch. Spotted coral blennies in Hawaiʻi behave differently than they do elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific. In Hawaiʻi they spend about 90% of their typical day sitting out in the open, making them exceptionally good subjects for underwater photographers.