Skinspot Pygmy Goby

Trimma halonevum

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Gobiiformes
Family: Gobiidae
Genus: Trimma
Species: Trimma halonevum

The skinspot pygmy goby (Trimma halonevum) is a tiny, reddish pygmy goby speckled with small pale spots, usually found hovering near reef crevices. Its large eyes are typical of the Trimma pygmy gobies.

It grows to only around 2-3 cm and lives on reef walls and slopes, staying close to holes and overhangs. It feeds on tiny plankton and darts into cover when approached.

The skinspot pygmy goby is found in the western Pacific, including the Philippines, where it lives on rocky and coral reefs.

Photo: Gregor Bailar, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist