Black-faced blenny 2007) and "T. tripteronotum" (Risso, 1810). Besides "T. delaisi", all species are endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. The species "T. delaisi" is subdivided in two subspecies: "T. delaisi delaisi" in the Mediterranean Sea and "T. delaisi xanthosoma" in the Atlantic Ocean. The subspecies can be distinguished by their courtship behaviour: "T. delaisi delaisi" court in free water and "T. delaisi xanthosoma" stay on the ground for courtship behaviour. The speciation process is still under discussion and several hypotheses have been proposed. Black-faced blenny The black-faced blenny ("Tripterygion delaisi") is a small benthic fish from the family Tripterygiidae (triplefin-blennies). It occurs
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