Mystery blenny

Description

The mystery blenny is a small, scaleless rock fish of the family Blenniidae reaching about 8 cm. Above each eye the fish bears a feathery skin flap (tentacle) and the brownish body shows a row of dark cross-bars. The species closely resembles related blennies, so it was long overlooked, which explains its scientific name 'incognitus'. It lives on shallow rocky shores and in tide pools of the Mediterranean and the adjacent eastern Atlantic and Black Sea. As a bottom-dweller it grazes on algae and small invertebrates. The male defends a territory and guards the eggs laid in a cavity or empty shell. Because of its small size it has no fishery importance.