Common Name: Piano Fangblenny

Distribution: Common throughout the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region, from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Marquesan and Tuamoto Islands, north to southern Japan, south to Rapa Islands and New Zealand. In Australia recorded from around Perth in Western Australia, across the tropical north of the state through Rowley Shoals and other offshore reefs, in Queensland throughout the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea, south to Victoria and including Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands.

Ecological Notes: Frequent clear lagoons and seaward reefs, usually the lower surge zone to deeper areas, depth to 45 m.

Additional Notes: Distinctive piano key pattern on the sides, colour may be orange/brown through black with pale or white belly. Feeds on dermal tissue, scales and mucus of other fish, often darting to deserted worm tubes or other cover after the attack. Have a sinuous swimming mode, 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.378.

Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=plagiotremus+tapeinosoma. Accessed 10/05/18.

FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. http://fishbase.ca/summary/Plagiotremus-tapeinosoma.html. Accessed 10/05/18.