Species: Gobiosoma nudum, Knobchin Goby

Gobiosoma nudum (Meek & Hildebrand, 1928)

Knobchin Goby

Body robust; head rounded; snout blunt; tip of snout with a small central fleshy knob; chin with 2 small barbels; a tiny barbel before the eye; 1 pore between eyes; 0 pores over opercle; preopercle with 3 pores; front nostril tubular, rear with raised rim; mouth oblique; upper lip separated from snout by a groove along its top edge; no teeth on roof of mouth; tongue round to blunt; gill membranes broadly joined to body under throat, with 5 rays; dorsal fin VII (none filamentous) + I, 11 (10-12) rays; length of 2nd dorsal base > distance from 2nd dorsal base to tail fin; anal fin I, 9 (8-9) rays; pectoral rays 20 (18-20); pelvic fins I, 5, fused in a round disc; scales usually absent (sometimes 1-4 scales just behind base of pectoral fin and two scales on base of tail fin); no lateral line.

Head and body with grey-brown irregular bars that have numerous pales spots superimposed on them; a midlateral row of small elongate dark spots in middle of each dark bar.

Size: reaches 4.5 cm.

Inhabits tide pools and shallow rocky reefs; also in freshwater.

Depth: 0-10 m.

Note: An E Pacific species that has passed through the Panama Canal to the Atlantic entrance thereof.