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Ecsenius midas

Midas blenny

The Midas blenny, known in Italian as bavosa coda a lira 7, is a blenny (Blenniidae) 1 that reaches about 13 cm. 2 It leaves the bottom to eat plankton a few metres up and joins schools of other plankton-eating fish, imitating their colours and way of swimming. 2 3 4 Adults have elongated outer tail rays. 3

BlenniidaeIUCN: Least concern
Ecsenius midas

At a glance

Data from the scientific sources listed at the bottom.

Depth in the wild

2–40 m

0 m10 m20 m30 m40 m50 m

Size

up to 13 cm

03691215

maximum total length

Conservation

NEDDLCNTVUENCREWEX

IUCN Red List: least concern (2009). Red List data taken from FishBase and GBIF. 2 6 It does not appear in the CITES lists checked on Species+. 8

Where it lives

Red SeaWestern Indian OceanEastern Indian OceanCentral Indo-PacificWestern PacificCentral PacificEastern PacificWestern AtlanticEastern AtlanticMediterranean

From the Gulf of Aqaba and the south-east coast of Africa to the Marquesas Islands. 2 In Australia it is recorded on the northern Great Barrier Reef and at the Cocos (Keeling) and Christmas Islands, in the eastern Indian Ocean. 3 It also lives in Indonesia and in the Line and Phoenix Islands, in the central Pacific. 3 4

How to recognise it

Tap a number on the photo: the key explains what to look for.

123
  1. 1Lyre tail the outer rays lengthen in adults 2 3
  2. 2Dark dorsal fin margin thin, on the front part of the fin 2 3
  3. 3Yellow and pink livery one of the colour variants, shared with other fish in the school 4

Life in the wild

Where it is found

Coral reefs, from clear-water coasts to outer walls, usually where the current is moderate. 2 In Reef Life Survey counts it is an infrequent species, present at 2.1% of the sites surveyed. 5

What it eats

It eats zooplankton, swimming 2-3 m above the bottom. 2 3 In the Line and Phoenix Islands it feeds in mixed groups above the substrate, together with other plankton-eating species. 4

Behaviour

It is an example of social mimicry: it swims in schools of Pseudanthias squamipinnis, Pseudanthias huchtii and Lepidozygus tapeinosoma, and copies their movements. 2 3 4 It can change colour quickly when moving from the bottom to open water, to look like the fish it mingles with. 2 In the Line and Phoenix Islands it shares a yellow and pink livery with other species. 4

Reproduction

It lays eggs that stay on the bottom and stick to the substrate with a small filamentous pad. 2 A distinct pair forms for spawning, and the larvae live in the plankton, often in shallow coastal waters. 2

In the aquarium

From the experience of the BallingMania community.

Community rating
Swimming level
lowmediumhigh
Coral compatibility
lowmediumhigh
Aggression
lowmediumhigh
Care difficulty
lowmediumhigh
Original sheet

A Reef Safe fish with a very colourful livery and a small size. Peaceful with the other reef inhabitants, it can however become territorial with others of its kind. It is better to introduce it into mature tanks with rocks full of hiding places, where it will settle in search of shelter at night. Easy to feed, it willingly accepts algae flakes and granules, but it prefers to feed on the zooplankton present in the tank, so it is advisable to vary its diet by giving Artemia, mysis or lobster eggs.

Ecsenius midas is a hardy fish, able to adapt well to aquarium life. Their behaviour in the tank often arouses curiosity, as they can spend much of their time watching what happens outside the aquarium, showing themselves off right at the front, close to the glass. It is also able to adapt to small aquariums and nano reefs, as long as it has a good number of hiding places where it can take cover.

Photo by: Sandro Jelmini

Did you know?

The name recalls King Midas, who turned everything he touched into gold: it is a reference to the fish's golden colouring. 2
In Fiji, in a group of yellow Pseudanthias squamipinnis with about six of these blennies, two Plagiotremus rhinorhynchos with an unusually yellow livery also appeared. 4

Sources

  1. WoRMS Editorial Board (2026). Ecsenius midas Starck, 1969. World Register of Marine Species.
  2. Froese R., Pauly D. (eds.) (2026). Ecsenius midas, Persian blenny. FishBase.
  3. Bray D.J. (2026). Ecsenius midas in Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria.
  4. Randall J.E. (2005). A review of mimicry in marine fishes. Zoological Studies 44(3): 299-328.
  5. Reef Life Survey (2026). Ecsenius midas. Reef Life Survey.
  6. GBIF Secretariat (2026). Ecsenius midas, IUCN Red List category. GBIF.
  7. GBIF Secretariat, da Catalogue of Life (2026). Ecsenius midas, nomi comuni. GBIF.
  8. UNEP-WCMC, Segretariato CITES (2026). Search for Ecsenius midas in the CITES lists. Species+.

Sources checked on 5 November 2026. Community texts and ratings are kept separate from the scientific data.

Download the original sheet (Italian)All species