Gobies

Marine Life / Gobies

The small, bottom-dwelling fish that share burrows, perch on corals and hide in every corner of the reef.

• Randall's Shrimp Goby Amblyeleotris randalli

  Randall's shrimp goby (Amblyeleotris randalli) is an elegant goby with orange-red bands and a tall, sail-like dorsal fin marked with a black eye-spot.

• Redhead Goby Paragobiodon echinocephalus

  The redhead goby (Paragobiodon echinocephalus) is a tiny coral goby with a bristly red head and a dark body, living deep inside branching corals.

• Emerald Coral Goby Paragobiodon xanthosoma

  The emerald coral goby (Paragobiodon xanthosoma) is a small, greenish-yellow goby that lives deep within branching corals.

• Crab-eye Goby Signigobius biocellatus

  The crab-eye goby (Signigobius biocellatus) is a sand goby with two large eye-spots on its dorsal fins, which together with its fins make it look like a crab.

• Yellow Pygmy Goby Lubricogobius exiguus

  The yellow pygmy goby (Lubricogobius exiguus) is a tiny, bright yellow goby that often makes its home inside empty bottles, cans and shells on sandy bottoms.

• Pink-eye Goby Bryaninops natans

  The pink-eye goby (Bryaninops natans) is a tiny, glassy goby with a bright pink-magenta eye, often seen hovering in small groups above Acropora corals.

• Banded Shrimp Goby Cryptocentrus cinctus

  The banded shrimp goby (Cryptocentrus cinctus), also called the yellow shrimp goby, is a stocky goby that can be bright yellow or pale with dark bands.

• Ringeye Pygmy Goby Trimma benjamini

  The ringeye pygmy goby (Trimma benjamini) is a tiny, translucent orange-red goby with a ring of colour around each eye.

• Flagtail Shrimp Goby Amblyeleotris yanoi

  The flagtail shrimp goby (Amblyeleotris yanoi) is a beautiful shrimp goby with orange-red bands, a bright yellow-and-blue tail and fins edged in colour.

• Banded Goby Amblygobius phalaena

  The banded goby (Amblygobius phalaena) is a medium-sized sand goby with dark vertical bars and a dark spot on its first dorsal fin.

• Tangaroa Shrimp Goby Ctenogobiops tangaroai

  The Tangaroa shrimp goby (Ctenogobiops tangaroai) is a pale, speckled shrimp goby with rows of small brown and orange spots and a tall first dorsal fin.

• Redbelly Dwarfgoby Eviota nigriventris

  The redbelly dwarfgoby (Eviota nigriventris) is a minute, translucent goby with a red body and a dark belly, often seen in groups among branching corals.

• Seven-figure Pygmy Goby Eviota sigillata

  The seven-figure pygmy goby (Eviota sigillata) is one of the shortest-lived vertebrates known, a tiny goby that lives only around eight weeks.

• Stony Coral Ghost Goby 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.

• Convict Reefgoby Priolepis cincta

  The convict reefgoby (Priolepis cincta) is a small, shy goby with bold pale bars across a brown body, usually seen hiding in reef crevices.

• Black-rayed Shrimpgoby Stonogobiops nematodes

  The black-rayed shrimpgoby (Stonogobiops nematodes) is an elegant little goby with a yellow head, diagonal dark bands and a long, threadlike first dorsal fin.

• Skinspot Pygmy Goby 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.

• Okinawa Pygmy Goby Trimma okinawae

  The Okinawa pygmy goby (Trimma okinawae) is a tiny orange-red goby with yellow spots, famous for being able to change sex in both directions.

• Red-lined Pygmygoby Trimma striatum

  The red-lined pygmygoby (Trimma striatum) is a tiny goby with fine red stripes along a pale body, often seen hovering head-up against reef walls.

• Spotted Shrimpgoby Amblyeleotris guttata

  The spotted shrimpgoby (Amblyeleotris guttata) is a pale goby covered in small orange-brown spots.

• Sphinx Goby Amblygobius sphynx

  The sphinx goby (Amblygobius sphynx) is a sand-dwelling goby with dark bars, blue spots and a spot on the base of its dorsal fin.

• Whip Coral Goby Bryaninops yongei

  The whip coral goby (Bryaninops yongei) is a tiny, translucent goby that lives on wire corals.

• Hasselt's Goby Callogobius hasseltii

  Hasselt's goby (Callogobius hasseltii) is a small goby with a brown body crossed by dark bands and rows of sensory papillae on its head.

• Nocturnal Goby Priolepis nocturna

  The nocturnal goby (Priolepis nocturna) is a small goby with an orange-brown body and thin pale bars.

• Orange-dashed Goby Valenciennea puellaris

  The orange-dashed goby (Valenciennea puellaris) is a sleeper goby with rows of orange dashes and spots along a pale body.

• Striped Dwarfgoby Eviota sebreei

  The striped dwarfgoby (Eviota sebreei) is a tiny, translucent goby with a dark stripe running along its lower side, broken into spots towards the tail, and a dark spot at the base of the tail fin.

• Decorated Goby Istigobius decoratus

  The decorated goby (Istigobius decoratus) is a pale sand goby with rows of dark and orange-brown spots along its body and fine dots on its head.