FishCommonVisible while snorkeling

Midas blenny

Ecsenius midas

The golden undercover agent: the Midas blenny dresses up to match the orange anthias and crashes their plankton parties.

Photo: iNaturalist – (c) Nico K. Michiels, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Nico K. Michiels

The Midas blenny (Ecsenius midas) is named after the legendary king whose touch turned everything to gold – and fittingly, it usually glows a brilliant golden orange, with large curious eyes and a characteristic "smiling" mouth. Among blennies it is an oddball: its body is more elongated and its tail fin is forked, an adaptation to a swimming lifestyle – and there is a good reason for that.

While its relatives perch on the bottom, the Midas blenny hunts plankton up in open water, blended into the orange clouds of sea goldies (Pseudanthias squamipinnis). It matches both its colour and its swimming style to the school – and if it joins a bluish group of anthias, it can switch to blue-grey as well. The swarm gives it protection from predators, yet at the first sign of danger it darts back into an empty worm tube or hole, leaving only its head peeking out.

It is very common around Hurghada – you just have to notice it: watch the anthias clouds along the reef walls and sooner or later you will pick out one slightly longer, differently swimming goldfish – that is your blenny. Heads peeking out of holes in the reef wall are an equally typical sight, even in the shallows while snorkeling. Photographers love it because a blenny watching from its hole poses with endless patience.

Did you know?

The Midas blenny is the only blenny that "thinks" it is a schooling fish: its colour, forked tail and swimming style have all evolved to match the sea goldies, letting it hunt plankton hidden inside their swarms.

Where can you meet it?

Common wherever anthias swarm along the walls: the reef walls of the Giftun Islands, Gota Abu Ramada and the coral heads of Carless Reef are safe bets.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, often at just 2–3 metres: look for golden heads peeking from holes in the reef wall, or watch the orange fish clouds – the one that looks "slightly different" is your Midas.

For two reasons: the huge school hides it from predators, and meanwhile it can eat the same plankton as the anthias. A classic win-win – except the goldies never realise they have a guest.

It is a completely harmless planktivore – the worst it will do is stare at you curiously from its hole. Keep an arm's length away and the two of you can watch each other for ages.