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False Cleanerfish fang blenny Dauin, Philippines (2012). It adopts the appaearance of cleaner fishes but is in fact a combtooth blenny. What these blennies in fact do is to trick the fish clients and when they least expect it, instead of cleaning the blenny will oportunistically scrap off a mouthfool of skin from them! For the rest of their time they like to stay in crevices fitting their bodies while surveying the area with their heads out. Aspidontus taeniatus,Fall,False cleanerfish,Geotagged,Philippines Click/tap to enlarge PromotedSpecies introCountry intro

False Cleanerfish fang blenny

Dauin, Philippines (2012). It adopts the appaearance of cleaner fishes but is in fact a combtooth blenny. What these blennies in fact do is to trick the fish clients and when they least expect it, instead of cleaning the blenny will oportunistically scrap off a mouthfool of skin from them! For the rest of their time they like to stay in crevices fitting their bodies while surveying the area with their heads out.

    comments (2)

  1. Wow, that's brutal. I think the whole cleaning operation is based on a delicate trust, which this one violates. Posted 9 years ago
  2. Nasty! I but amazing all the same! Posted 9 years ago

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The false cleanerfish, Aspidontus taeniatus, is a species of combtooth blenny, a Batesian mimic that copies both the dance and appearance of ''Labroides dimidiatus'', a similarly colored species of cleaner wrasse. Likely mimicking the bluestreak cleaner wrasse to avoid predation, as well to occasionally bite the fins of its victims rather than consume parasites.

Similar species: Blennies
Species identified by Patomarazul
View Patomarazul's profile

By Patomarazul

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Uploaded Jul 23, 2016. Captured Oct 3, 2012 03:32 in Unnamed Road, Dauin, Negros Oriental, Philippines.
  • XZ-1
  • f/2.5
  • 1/80s
  • ISO200
  • 6mm