Tompot Blenny
(Parablennius gattorugine)

his fish may reach 30 cm long, but 15-20 cm is more typical. It has a thin,
elongated body with a roundish head, from which protrude two prominent branching
feeler-like tentacles.

Its color is brownish with some lighter vertical
bars. It has only one dorsal fin, taller near the head than it is near the tail. Instead
of scales its skin is covered with mucous glands; for this reason, people on the
Mediterranean Spanish coast also know them as "babosas" (slugs).
Lives on rocky bottoms and in the holes of walls;
less common in the underwater grasslands. May be found between 3 and 30 meters' depth. Not
found in some parts of the eastern Mediterranean. Where the water is very hot (over 20
degrees Celsius), may leap out of the water onto shoreline rocks for short periods.
Feeds on certain invertebrates and algaes. Can be
observed the whole day but especially active in the afternoon. In the reproductive period
from March to May, females seek males' territories, always around a hole or similar
irregularity. Males, who are quite territorial, take care of the eggs until they hatch
out.
These blennies, like all of their species, retreat
to their burrows when they feel threatened, but after only a short while they stick their
heads out again, because their curiosity is almost human.
On occasion they can be observed in a symbiotic
relationship with shrimp.

© Proofreading Bob
Bridges 1998
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