Tigrigobius rubrigenis

Common Name

Redcheek Goby

Year Described

Victor, 2010

Identification

Dorsal Fin: VII, 10-11
Anal Fin: 9-10
Pectoral Fin: 20-22
Caudal Fin: 15 (branched), 6-8 unbranched on top and bottom

Pelvic fins fully united into circular disk. Body scaleless.

Color

Head pale orange to yellowish and body behind pectoral fin abruptly dark green with 23-26 light green bands. Head with two bright red stripes: one through the eye and one on the cheek. Posterior part of eyebar is bright orange-red. Fin rays yellowish with clear membranes.

Size

Individuals range from 8.7-19.3mm SL.

Habitat

Shallow rocky areas of pitted limestone. Usually associated with sea urchins.

Range

Known only from the Bay Islands of Honduras.

References

Victor, B. C. 2010. The redcheek paradox: the mismatch between genetic and phenotypic divergence among deeply-divided mtDNA lineages in a coral-reef goby, with the description of two new cryptic species from the Caribbean Sea. Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation v. 3: 1-15.

Other Notes

Despite the color pattern difference between this species and T. panamensis, the mtDNA divergence between them is much less (3.3%) than the divergence between T. rubrigenis and T. multifasciatus (11.2%). This shows color pattern is not a reliable indicator of relationship in this clade (Victor, 2010).