Colubraria obscura is uncommon in the Marshalls, so far found only on the western and eastern seaward reefs at depths of about 8 to 16m. During the day, living specimens are usually hidden away under rocks or in piles of rubble. At night they emerge to suck the blood of sleeping fish, mostly parrotfish.
The pair below were under a large flat rock just a few centimeters away from the egg mass below them in the photo below. They were moved next to the mass for the photo, but it is not confirmed that those eggs belong to those animals.
This specimen was found parasitizing a sleeping scarid at night. The diver's light caused it to pull back its proboscis before this photo was taken.
Created 24 October 2010
Updated 24 February 2012