Many-host Ghostgoby

Appearance

A variably-coloured goby ranging from greenish or uniform brown to a semi-transparent reddish to reddish-brown colour with white saddles/blotches along the back and a whitish internal stripe or dashes along the top of the vertebral column.
Max length : 3.0 cm. Dorsal spines (total): 7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7-8; Anal spines: 1; Anal soft rays: 8. Pale reddish in color. Gill rakers rudimentary. Transverse scales 7. Mouth large, maxillary extending to vertical from midline to eye. Midline of predorsal and nape naked but scaled on either side. Median fins low; first dorsal roughly triangular and shorter than anterior rays of second dorsal, which is quite low posteriorly. Pectoral large, extending to below gap between dorsal fins. Ventral fins large, frenum fimbriate; characterized further by longitudinal scale series 20-27; broad gill opening, reaching to below half of eye; depth of body at anus5.3-6.8 in SL.

Naming

Common Ghost Goby, Many Host Goby, Many-host Cling-goby, Many-host Ghost Goby, Mozambique Ghostgoby, Toothy Goby.

Distribution

Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to Fiji and the Marquesan Islands, north to southern Japan, south to southeast Australia and New Caledonia.

Status

Least Concern (LC)

Habitat

Lives among soft coral, sponges, Tridacna, and broad-blade plants. Also inhabits coastal bays and reef slopes, found on a variety of host and also on algae from very shallow to at least 30 meters.

Reproduction

Benthic spawner.