Elegant blenny

A brown line enters the eye vertically.

Scientific name	Omobranchus elegans
English name	Elegant blenny
Japanese name	Nabeka
Classification	Actinopterygii
Classification details	Perciformes Blenniidae
Full length	5cm
Distribution	Distributed from Japan to the Korean Peninsula

Characteristics

A fish about 10cm in size. The tail half of the body is yellow. Brown vertical stripes run across the upper body. There is also a vertical brown line in the eye. Small brown polka dots are scattered along the tail. It has canine teeth and is capable of biting human fingers.

Ecology

They live in shallow waters and are omnivorous, eating small creatures. Males protect the eggs. Equipped with canine teeth, it attacks animals larger than itself.

Habitat

I took this photo on the beach of Arasaki, Miura Peninsula. The waves were too high to swim in the outer rapids, so I swam in the relatively calm waters inside the tetra. I found a single individual on the surface of a rock in the sea, so I took a picture of it.