Common Name
Yellownose Goby
Year Described
Böhlke & Robins, 1968
Identification
Dorsal Fin: VII, 12
Anal Fin: 11
Pectoral Fin: 17-18 (usually 17)
Caudal Fin:
Gill Rakers: 7
Vertebrae: 28
Mouth subterminal. Body scaleless. Pelvic fins fused to form a sucking disk.
Color
Body stripe bright yellow; narrower than eye and running to the caudal fin. Back and lateral stripe black; tapering off on caudal fin. Snout pale yellowish with a oval yellow spot. Area under lateral black stripe brilliant blue and grading to whitish on the belly. Cheek with blue stripe and reddish wash. Fins transparent with fine speckling.
Size
Maximum size to 31.8mm SL.
Habitat
Coral reefs from 1-50m. A coral perching species that engage in cleaning behavior.
Range
Southern Caribbean Sea: Puerto Rico, the Lesser Antilles, Curacao, and Venezuela.
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
Most closely related to the Brazilian Elacatinus phthirophagus, which has a dark snout and lacks a blue line on the cheek.