Persian blenny
Ecsenius midas Starck, 1969
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Ecsenius midas, known commonly as the Midas blenny, Persian blenny, lyretail blenny or golden blenny, is a species of marine fish in the family Blenniidae.
The Midas blenny is widespread throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific area from the eastern coast of Africa, Red Sea included, to the Marquesan Islands. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. The specific name references the Phrygian king Midas who, in Greek mythology turned all he touched into gold, the type was a golden color in life although it is now known that this species is variable in color.
It grows to a size of 13 cm in length.
Its normal color is golden orange but it can adapt its color (mimicry) to match the color of the fishes it mixes with. It shows a black spot near the anus. It is often seen in company of the lyretail anthias (Pseudanthias squamipinnis).
The Midas blenny is a planktivore.
Wikipedia contributors, Midas blenny; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:14:52.120539+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Ecsenius midas Starck, 1969
- Name authority
- Starck, 1969
- Common name
- Persian blenny
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Blenniiformes
- Family
- Blenniidae
- Genus
- Ecsenius
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderBlenniiformes
- familyBlenniidae Rafinesque, 1810
- subfamilySalariinae Gill, 1859
- genusEcsenius McCulloch, 1923
- speciesEcsenius midas Starck, 1969
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Ecsenius. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Ecsenius aequalis Springer, 1988 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ecsenius alleni Springer, 1988 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Aron's blennyEcsenius aroni Springer, 1971 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ecsenius australianus Springer, 1988 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ecsenius bandanus Springer, 1971 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ecsenius caeruliventris Springer & Allen, 2004 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ecsenius collettei Springer, 1972 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ecsenius fijiensis Springer, 1988 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ecsenius fourmanoiri Springer, 1972 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| smoothfin blennyEcsenius frontalis (Valenciennes, 1836) | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ecsenius isos McKinney & Springer, 1976 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ecsenius mandibularis McCulloch, 1923 | BlenniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Starck, W. A., II. (1969). Ecsenius (Anthiiblennius) midas a new subgenus and species of mimic blenny from the western Indian Ocean. Notulae Naturae (Philadelphia), 419: 1–9. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:38NZ4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.