Cryptobenthic reef fishes

Abstract

What are cryptobenthic reef fishes? On reefs around the world, fishes display a remarkable abundance and diversity of shapes and colours. However, perhaps even more remarkable is that most casual observers on reefs probably do not see half of the fishes that live there. This 'hidden half' of the fish community is comprised of cryptobenthic reef fishes - adult fishes typically less than 5 cm long that are visually or behaviourally cryptic, and live near to or even within the seabed (Figure 1). Cryptobenthic reef fish communities can be comprised of many species and families, but perhaps the most common and widespread members are the gobies (family Gobiidae) and the blenny-like fishes (suborder Blennioidei). While small camouflaged fishes may not sound particularly exciting at first, cryptobenthic reef fishes display extraordinary diversity and are of critical ecological importance on reefs worldwide.