Common Name
Thiony's Goby
Year Described
Van Tassell & Tornabene, 2016
Identification
Dorsal Fin: VII, 11
Anal Fin: 11
Pectoral Fin: 18-19
Caudal Fin: 17 segmented rays
Vertebrae: 11+16= 27 (total)
Body elongate with a large head. Eye relatively large. Dorsal fin with anterior two spines not elongate and last two spines more spaced than the first five. Pelvic fin rays branched except for the last which is much shorter than fourth. Pelvic fins not fused. Two anal-fin pterygiophores anterior to the first haemal spine. Papillae rows 5i and 5s are separate. Cephalic lateralis pores absent. Body scaled posterior to pectoral base in a wedge shape (40-47 rows), ctenoid but with extensive cycloid scales anteriorly. Two basicaudal scales present.
Color
Body pale and translucent, with four lateral brownish-yellow blotches and more closely spaced yellowish blotches along dorsum. Fresh specimens with opalescent white markings between the yellow blotches. Dorsum and head with pale yellowish wash. Eye yellowish. Cheek and opercle pinkish. First dorsal fin with a yellow stripe and white margin. Second dorsal fin with scattered yellow spots and a whitish margin. Caudal fin with lines of yellow spots forming vertical bands. Anal and pelvic fins pale with a peppering of melanophores distally.
Size
Maximum size to 22.4mm SL.
Habitat
Known from deep reef calcareous platforms near the continental margin (~70m).
Range
Known from off SE Brazil (Espirito Santo State).
References
Tornabene, L., J.L. Van Tassell, R.G. Gilmore, D.R. Robertson, F. Young, & C.C. Baldwin. 2016. Molecular phylogeny, analysis of character evolution, and submersible collections enable a new classification of a diverse group of gobies (Teleostei: Gobiidae: Nes subgroup), including nine new species and four new genera. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.