Elacatinus louisae

Common Name

Spotlight Goby

Year Described

Böhlke & Robins, 1968

Identification

Dorsal Fin: VII, 12-13 (usually 12)
Anal Fin: 10-12 (usually 11)
Pectoral Fin: 17-19 (usually 18)
Caudal Fin: 17 branched
Gill Rakers: 13 (total)
Vertebrae: 28

Mouth subterminal. Body scaleless. Pelvic fins fused to form a sucking disk.

Color

Body stripe greenish yellow to pale yellow; tapering onto caudal fin. Lateral stripe broad and black; ending in a rounded blotch on the tail. Back is black. Snout with a round yellow spot. Belly grading to pale gray or whitish, with small melanophores. Fins transparent with a fine peppering of melanophores.

Size

Maximum size to 29.6mm SL.

Habitat

Deeper reefs from 13-45m. Inhabits sponges and is not known to engage in cleaning behavior.

Range

Caribbean Sea: the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands.

References

Böhlke, J. E. and C. R. Robins. 1968. Western Atlantic seven-spined gobies, with descriptions of ten new species and a new genus, and comments on Pacific relatives. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia v. 120: 45-174.

Other Notes

Resembles Elacatinus atronasus from the same region, but has a noticeably rounded snout (vs. pointed).