Stony Coral Ghost Goby

Pleurosicya micheli

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Gobiiformes
Family: Gobiidae
Genus: Pleurosicya
Species: Pleurosicya micheli

The stony coral ghost goby (Pleurosicya micheli) is a nearly transparent goby that sits on the surface of hard corals, almost invisible except for its eyes and internal organs. A faint reddish line runs along its body.

It grows to only about 2-3 cm. It perches on stony corals such as Porites and Montipora, gripping with its fused pelvic fins, and snatches tiny plankton from the water.

The stony coral ghost goby is found across the Indo-Pacific, including the Philippines, where macro divers find it resting on hard corals on shallow reefs.