Cleaner Fish - Mimicry

Mimicry

Many cleaner fish have a distinctive combination of a long narrow body, a longitudinal stripe, a blue colour, and small size. "Convergent signalling among cleaners, using size, stripes and colour, should facilitate their recognition by fish clients."

The sabre-toothed blenny Aspidontus taeniatus is a blenny that mimics the ritualised dance the cleaner wrasse makes when passing fish swim by. Instead of providing a useful cleaning service, however, it bites off pieces of healthy skin and scales from the host before darting away to safety.