Floral Blenny
Petroscirtes mitratus
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Order
- Blenniiformes
- Family
- Blenniidae
- Genus
- Petroscirtes
- Species
- Petroscirtes mitratus
The floral blenny (Petroscirtes mitratus), also known as the highfin fangblenny, is a small blenny with a tall dorsal fin and leafy, flower-like cirri on its head. It is mottled in greens, browns and whites to blend with algae and seagrass.
It grows to around 5-6 cm and lives in shallow seagrass beds, algae and rubble. Like other fangblennies it has enlarged canine teeth in the lower jaw, and it feeds on algae, small crustaceans and other tiny invertebrates. It often lays eggs inside empty shells or tubes.
The floral blenny is widespread across the Indo-West Pacific, including the Philippines, where it is found in seagrass and algae patches in shallow water.