Common Name: Leopard Blenny

Distribution: Relatively common in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Widespread Indo-Pacific generally, from the Red Sea and South Africa east to Hawaiian Islands, north to Ryuku Islands and south to New Caledonia and Rapa. In Australia recorded from the Exmouth region of Western Australia, from the northern Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, south to northern New South Wales and including Lord Howe Island.

Ecological Notes: Frequents clear coastal reefs, often in bays and semi-exposed habitats, seaward edge of reefs among branching corals like Acropora and Pocillopora. Sometimes seen on top of the coral, retreating when approached. Depth 3 – 20 m usually shallower to around 8 m.

Additional Notes: Intricate network pattern over body and fins, tending to spot pattern on head. Feeds on coral polyps. Females brown as in lower photograph, males tending to bright red on rear of body and fins. Tentacles over both eyes. Males prepare nesting sites by overgrazing a patch of coral, eggs are demersal and adhesive and are attached to the prepared area by a filamentous adhesive pad or pedestal. Hatching larvae are planktonic, often found in shallow coastal waters. The only species of the genus. Grows to 14 cm.

References: R. Stuart-Smith, G. Edgar, A. Green, I. Shaw, Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland Publishers, 2015. p.373.
Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=exallias+brevis. Accessed 26/05/18.

FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. https://fishbase.ca/summary/Exallias-brevis.html. Accessed 26/05/18.