Ophioblennius macclurei
Common on shallow reefs in Bonaire and the BVI, this feisty little blenny sits on coral heads year-round in 26 to 28 C water.
A stubby 8 cm fish that perches motionless on coral or rock rather than swimming in open water, propped up on its pectoral fins like a tiny lizard. Look for the mottled brown to olive body and the reddish-orange lips that give it its name, visible at close range. It has no scales, giving it a smooth, almost slimy look, and a blunt head with tufted eye structures (cirri) above each eye.
Spend most dives watching this one hold still on a coral head or rocky ledge, darting out briefly to nip at algae before returning to the same perch. It is territorial toward its own kind and will hold its ground against a slow-approaching diver rather than bolt, making it an easy subject for close-focus photos. Most sightings happen in shallow reef zones where light and algae growth are both good.
Males guard a patch of reef and will chase off rivals, and eggs are laid in a rocky crevice where the male keeps watch until they hatch.
No clear season shows up in the sighting data, and with a comfortable range of 26.2 to 28.2 C it sticks to shallow Caribbean reefs year-round.
Reef neighbours a diver could mistake it for. Use the identification notes above to tell them apart.
Most reliably logged in the Caribbean, with strong numbers in Bonaire's Leeward Coast, Tortola and the Southern Islands in the British Virgin Islands, and Grenada Island. It also turns up consistently in the US Virgin Islands around Saint Croix and Saint John, plus Curacao's Willemstad and South Coast, Martinique, and Guadeloupe's Basse-Terre.
Mapping where Redlip Blenny is logged…
Bonaire's Leeward Coast, the British Virgin Islands around Tortola, and Grenada Island are among the most reliable spots, with good numbers also in Curacao, the US Virgin Islands, Martinique, and Guadeloupe.
There is no strong seasonal pattern in sightings, so any time of year works on Caribbean reefs where water stays between roughly 26 and 28 C.
Look for a small, scaleless fish propped on its fins on a coral head, with a mottled brown body and reddish lips. It tends to sit still rather than swim, making it easy to approach for a closer look.
Around 8 cm long, small enough that divers often overlook it until it moves.
No, they pose no threat to divers and simply hold their ground or retreat into a crevice if approached too closely.
Males stake out a territory on the reef and guard eggs laid in a crevice, chasing off rival males and other blennies that get too close.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
Klipfish
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