Ringneck blenny at A-Frame. Photo Geo Cloete
Ringneck blenny at Windmill.
Ringneck blenny in a bottle under the Thesen's Jetty in Knysna.
Ringneck blenny at the "T-Barge" in Durban.
All other photos Guido Zsilavecz
This species is quite common from Knysna eastwards, and has been seen often on dives in the Knysna lagoon and the heads, as well as on a dive in Durban, on the T-Barge. Two sightings in Cape Town waters, one at Windmill, one at nearby A-Frame, make mean its range is further than initially thought.
While False Bay has its fair share of visitors and unusual sightings, as the SURG website clearly shows, repetitive sightings in a similar area, especially if spaced some time apart, does lead me think it is not just a visitor, but simply a very rare resident.
Two Oceans, A guide to the marine life of Southern Africa, GM Branch, CL Griffiths, ML Branch and LE Beckley, revised edition 2010
Smiths' Sea Fishes, MM Smith and PC Heemstra, 1986