Elacatinus oceanops
Neon Goby
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Gobiidae (Gobies)
Elacatinus
Elacatinus oceanops (Neon Goby)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Body naked; head slightly depressed and convex between orbits; mouth subterminal with snout overhanging upper jaw; upper jaw extending to center of pupil; upper lip divided by rostral frenum; jaw teeth in upper jaw in single row, in lower jaw in 3-4 rows anteriorly and single row posteriorly; males with 2-3 recurved canines in lower jaw; tongue truncate; gill opening extends ventrally the length of pectoral fin base; gill rakers on first arch 8-10; head length 20.8%-24.2% SL, pre-dorsal-fin length 30.6%-33.9% SL, pelvic fin length 10%-12.7% SL, caudal fin length 14.1%-21.5% SL, body depth 18.2%-20% SL; snout length 18.8%-21.6% head length, eye diameter about 26% head length; pectoral fin rays 16-19; first dorsal fin VII spines, second dorsal fin I spine and 10-13 rays; pelvic fins united by membrane to form disc; anal fin I spine and 9-12 rays; caudal fin rounded; sensory pore between anterior margins of eyes; preopercular canal with 3 pores; vertebrae 28 (11 precaudal, 17 caudal)
Dark brown with blue lateral stripe from snout to end of caudal fin
Distribution
Western Atlantic from southeastern Florida and Florida Keys to Colombia, including Gulf of Mexico
Occurs off Texas, on Flower Garden Banks, and in Campeche Bay
Habitat Associations
Reefs
Biology
Removes parasites and dead skin from surfaces of other fishes at cleaning stations
Maximum known size 50 mm TL
Inhabits coral heads. Removes ectoparasites on skin and fins, in the mouth and in the gill chambers of greater fish like groupers and others (Ref. 92840). Monogamous (Ref. 52884). Minimum depth reported from Ref. 27115. Has been reared in captivity (Ref. 35420).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; mating system: monogamy; guarders (nesters); parental care: paternal. Monogamous mating is observed as both obigate and social (Ref. 52884).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2010-03-01. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial.
References
Ginsburg 1933
Böhlke and Robins 1968
Bright and Cashman 1974
Robins and Ray 1986
Smith 1997
Hoese and Moore 1998
Murdy and Hoese 2002b
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994) Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
Randall, J.E. (1996) Caribbean reef fishes. Third Edition - revised and enlarged. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Hong Kong. 3nd ed. 368 p.
Smith, C.L. (1997) National Audubon Society field guide to tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p.
Pattengill, C.V., B.X. Semmens and S.R. Gittings (1997) Reef fish trophic structure at the Flower Gardens and Stetson Bank, NW Gulf of Mexico. Proc. 8th Int. Coral Reef Sym. 1:1023-1028.
Whiteman, E.A. and I.M. Côté (2004) Monogamy in marine fishes. Biol. Rev. 79:351-375.
Patzner, R.A., J.L. Van Tassell, M. Kovačić and B.G. Kapoor (2011) The biology of gobies. Enfield, NH : Science Publishers ; Boca Raton, FL : DIstributed by CRC Press, 685 p.
Comments On Elacatinus oceanops