Ocellate eel blenny Ocellate eel blenny The ocellate eel blenny (Blennodesmus scapularis) is a species of ray-finned fish from the subfamily Congrogadidae, which is in the family Pseudochromidae. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Blennodesmus. It is found along the northern coasts of Australia, from Western Australia, along the coast of the Northern Territory to Queensland. The ocellate eel blenny is found among coral rubble and occurs in intertidal pools up to a depth of where it feeds mostly on crustaceans. Like other species of Congrogadid the ocellate eel blenny has eggs covered in hooks, cross shaped hooks in this
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