Common Name
Zebrette Goby
Year Described
Robins, 1958
Identification
Dorsal Fin: VII, 11-12 (usually 11)
Anal Fin: 10
Pectoral Fin: 17-19 (usually 18)
Caudal Fin: 17 (segmented)
Vertebrae: 11 precaudal, 17 caudal; 27 total
Body elongate with a blunt snout. Two preopercular pores. A small patch of scales on caudal peduncle. Four modified basicaudal scales. Last 2 dorsal spines separated more than the anterior five. Anterior spine may be elongate in mature males. Pelvic fin forms a fused disk.
Color
Body translucent blue to grayish-blue posteriorly and yellowish anteriorly. Cheek area bright pink to reddish. Gut blotched with white and black. Internal organs and vertebrae vaguely visible through body wall. There are 13 black body bands that are equal or slightly thinner than interspaces. An additional three bands curve forward on head. Eye boldly banded in black and yellow. Tiny melanophores sprinkled over body and head. Fins also covered in melanophores, with many specimens having denser patches on mid-fin forming median stripes.
Size
Maximum size to 20mm SL.
Habitat
Inhabits reefs in areas of coral rubble (<20m).
Range
S. Caribbean Sea: known from Venezuela and Trinidad.
References
Böhlke, J. E., & Robins, C. R. 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, 120, 45-174.