Description

Summary:

A mottled brown shrimpgoby with 12 brown bars along the body and narrow pale spaces between bars (some bars may be faded or indistinct), a large dark brown spot on the caudal-fin base, a triangular-shaped first dorsal fin with the first spine elongated and irregular brown and white blotches anteriorly and a large prominent ocellated blackish spot near the rear margin of the fin. The base of the second dorsal fin has large brown blotches, blue, yellow and brown submarginal bands, a yellow anal fin with a pale blue margin, and anal fin; dark brown to blackish pelvic fins. (D.J. Bray)

Body design

A large shrimpgoby, up to 15 cm long. The background colour is cream. On this, there are about 12 rectangular bars, fading ventrally and placed so close together that the appearance is of a dark brown body with 12 fine cream bars. Each brown bar is accentuated mid-lateralally with a darker brown patch making a broken mid-lateral stripe on the barred pattern. Above this stripe, there are, from the head to the caudal fin, dark brown markings of different sizes and shapes closely packed on the cream background.

The pattern can sometimes be obscured by the appearance of four dark saddles.

Head design

The head design dorsally is a continuation of the body pattern but with the mid-lateral patches more irregular and no rectangular bars. Below this are two stripes running back to the opercle from below the eye and from the angle of the jaw. These are made of confluent rows of ovoid brown blotches on a cream background. There are fine spots on the snout and lower jaw. The nostrils are prominently tubular with the posterior aspect extended so the orifice points forward.

Fin design

The first dorsal fin is triangular and usually held erect with the first dorsal ray prominently on display. There are cream-outlined black trapezoid patches near the aft margin. The second dorsal fin is dark brown with a cream-coloured stripe through it, and a yellow and blue margin. The anal fin is yellow with a pale margin and some rays extending posteriorly. The caudal fin is pale yellow, and lanceolate with a dark base and dark colour extending along the long central rays. The pectoral fin is clear with a yellow wash. The pelvic fin is dark brown to black.

Diagnostic features

The first dorsal fin is very characteristic.

Similar species

Tomiyamichthys alleni has a similarly shaped first dorsal fin but not nearly as long and is a pale-coloured fish with a black band below the eye.

Nomenclature

Originally described as Flabelligobius from 100m depth in Taiwan. (Ichthyological research 2003 50. 333-339)