I’ve just returned from a trip to the Maldives, and I’m armed with a few memory cards full of fish; but I’m not entirely sure what they are.  I’m going to share them, because I think they’re fairly good snaps, but if the names are wrong, please feel free to let me know.  It might spur me on to buy the latest ID book, mine is a little out of date.

My first images is quite striking and one that I’m quite proud of.  It’s also perhaps the easiest to ID – even I know this is a Blue striped fangblenny, Plagiotremus tapeinosoma.  This individual was sheltering in a hole in an encrusting red sponge, so made for quite a striking image.

The next guy (main image) might be Ecsenius paroculus, the Eyespot Blenny from my ID book, but I’m not convinced.  It looks quite a lot like E. yaeyamaensis  or the Maldivian endemic E. minutus, given that both seem to have a stripe under their operculum.  Can anyone help?

This guy seems to be the Lined Blenny, E. lineatus.  But again, if you know better, let me know.

Finally, these wee little fellas, they were everywhere on some of the coral formations.  Clearly they’re Eviota species, E. prasites perhaps?