This is a series of articles I’ve chosen to publish under the title “Diver’s Lens.”
Using photos and videos taken by photographers or divers, these articles aim to provide scientific and species-related information about the Maldives.
The photographer or diver has granted permission for the publication of the photos and videos in these articles. Furthermore, we publish additional informative and scientific descriptions with the photographer’s or diver’s permission. In this article, I’ve chosen photos and videos of blennies from Sivad’s underwater treasure trove.
The Maldives Triplefin, or Helicogramma maldivensis, is a fish that lives only in the Maldives. It lives in reefs with clear water, usually on coral patches on steep slopes or drop-offs. Its depth ranges from 6 to 35 meters, and it is usually found in small groups on sponges or smooth corals.
The stripes and spots on this animal’s colour make it one of the few kinds that is easy to spot. It’s only been seen in the Maldives and Sri Lanka. This fish can get as big as 40 mm.
Tripplefin belong to the family Tripterygidae. This is a big family of primarily tropical fishes, with roughly 20 to 30 genera and approximately 200 species. They have characteristics with blenny fish, including three distinct dorsal fins.
They’re also called threefins. Sometimes the male shows bright colours before laying eggs, and other times the male has a colour that stays the same throughout. Most of the species are only a few centimetres long and live in cracks in cave walls near algal reefs.
Maldives may have 10 species. Small animals, both bottom and zooplankton, make up the food for these species.
