Species: Anablepsoides hartii, Giant Rivulus, Jumping Guabine

Anablepsoides hartii (Boulenger, 1890)

Giant Rivulus, Jumping Guabine

Body elongate, cylindrical; head flattened; sensory system on top of head with grooves and exposed pads rather than pores; covering of eye partly continuous with skin of head; mouth slightly upturned, at front, short, not reaching under eye, top jaw extendible; teeth small, weak, conical; front nostril a hole, rear nostril a small slit before and above eye; 9 lower gill rakers; fins without spines, although 1st ray may be unbranched; dorsal fin at rear of body, its origin over base of last few anal rays; dorsal fin 8-11, anal fin 15-18; pelvics on abdomen, at rear; pectorals rounded, on mid-side; tail fin rounded; body with smooth scales, 39-51 along side; lateral line reduced to sensory pits along side of body; fertilization internal, with eggs then being laid.

Grey brown above, whitish below, body with a reddish cast; 6-8 rows of red-brown spots on scales form narrow stripes along body; dorsal fin with small red-brown spots, upper margin of fin with a cream to yellow band; anal fin with red-brown spots, outer part of fin yellowish, with a fine black edge; tail fin with upper and lower margins with a broad cream stripe, center of fin with vertical rows of red-brown spots. Male: a dark blotch on midside above center of pectoral fin; bright orange to yellow upper and lower margins of tail fin. Female: a black spot bordered at the front and rear with cream, at the top of the tail fin base.

Reaches 10 cm.

Coastal fresh to brackish water.

Depth range 0-2 m.

SE Caribbean.