Australian blenny may expand southwards with those of several other similarly distributed species as temperatures increase due to climate change. Australian blenny The Australian blenny ("Ecsenius australianus") are small marine blennioid fish of the genus "Ecsenius". They are small and reddish brown with a white ventral side. Australian blennies inhabit the shallow marine waters of the tropics. They are often found along the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea of Australia. This species is believed to be most closely related to "E. fourmanoiri". Similarities between these two species include "broad, darkly dusky bands and stripes" and "dark opercular margin[s]", which are not
Sphinx blenny mating, the blennies form distinct pairs, and the females lay up to 7000 eggs in a sitting, which are then guarded in burrows by the males. Males are known to cannibalize dead eggs to prevent infection spread amongst the healthy eggs, although in smaller broods they have also been reported consuming living eggs. It is believed that this is due to limited feeding opportunities for the males during breeding, as a result of their restriction to the nests. FishBase considers the blennies to be of Low Vulnerability, with a reproductive doubling time of less than 15 months. Sphinx blenny The