Common Name
Pallid Goby
Year Described
Bohlke & Robins, 1960
Identification
Dorsal Fin: VI; I, 9
Anal Fin: I, 8-9
Pectoral Fin: 18-20 (usually 19-20)
Pelvic Fin: I, 5
Caudal Fin: 17 segmented rays
Lateral Line Scales: 25-26
Vertebrae: 9+17=26
Body elongate. Snout profile straight. Eyes large and placed dorsally. A low fleshy ridge present on nape from between eyes to dorsal fin origin. Anterior nostril tubular. Posterior nostril not tubular. Mouth small. Tongue truncated. No teeth on vomer or palatine. Teeth in jaws present in several irregular rows. Gill membranes joined to isthmus. Pectoral, soft dorsal, and anal fins with all rays branched and bound by membranes (first element simple). Second dorsal base longer than caudal peduncle length. Ventral fins fused into disk with front membrane present, rays branched, and last ray shorter than fourth. Body covered in ctenoid scales, becoming cycloid on chest. Head and nape naked. Head pores present (one between eyes and one pair between rear nostrils). No lateral line.
Color
Body translucent whitish with internal organs and spinal column opaque white. There are two complete lateral yellow stripes: one running from the rear eye to the upper caudal peduncle and the second on the lower trunk from the pectoral fin to the lower caudal peduncle. There is another partial stripe on the top of the head that breaks up into yellow spots on the dorsal midline at the fin bases. There are yellow to orange lines on the head, including one on cheek, one at the rear corner of the upper jaw, and one running from the eye. There are no dark spots on the pectoral fin base but orange ones are present. A small vertical black bar on the base of the caudal fin. Fins range from clear to having faint yellowish markings at base. Eye white with yellow or dark markings around margin.
Size
Maximum size to 60mm SL.
Habitat
Found on sandy bottoms on shallow (1-54m) reefs between rocks and coral heads.
Range
S. Florida to NE Brazil, including the Caribbean Sea.
References
Baldwin, C.C., Weigt, L.A., Smith, D.G., & J.H. Mounts. 2009. Reconciling genetic lineages with species in western Atlantic Coryphopterus (Teleostei: Gobiidae). Smithsonian Contributions to the Marine Sciences, 38: 111-138.
Baldwin C.C. & D.R. Robertson. 2015. A new, mesophotic Coryphopterus goby (Teleostei, Gobiidae) from the southern Caribbean, with comments on relationships and depth distributions within the genus. ZooKeys 513: 123-142.
Böhlke, J.E. & C.R. Robins. 1960. A revision of the gobioid fish genus Coryphopterus. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 112, 103-128.