At this time of year, as the mating season begins, Lady Musgrave blennies, Cirripectes chelomatus, change colour from dark inky blue black with barely visible red spots to a vibrant mustardy yellow, more prominent red spots with the same inky blue–black tail. This is known as nuptial colouration, which I have mentioned briefly before in this blog.
I love these little fish, with their flowing tails and hairy eyebrows. Right on cue, in the space of two days, these guys have turned colour. Most of the images below were taken yesterday, on 30 October 2022. They’ve also become much more active. Rather than sitting passively and then scurrying away as you approach, they are now on a mission to find a mate. I love to watch as they sit atop a prominent outcrop of coral where they can get a good view of the surrounding territory. Often they’ll hide when you arrive, but if you stay still and quietly watch the place where they disappeared, inevitably they will pop out again, such is their urge to signal their intentions to other blennies in the neighbourhood. They launch vertically into the water column, maybe 25 cm or so, flutter briefly and then return to their perches.
Often at this point, if you are lucky, you will see another one a few metres away out of the corner of your eye repeating the gesture.
It is a delightful dance to watch, and one I’ve nicknamed ‘the blenny fest’ because it happens at the same time, up and down the reef.
Below are images taken of this characterful blenny as it changes colour. The last couple have me wondering, have these two found the right one?
