Species: Coryphopterus venezuelae, Venezuela Goby
body: 3 rows dark marks, lower row large Xs/round

pelvics: round disc
Coryphopterus venezuelae Cervigón, 1966
Venezuela Goby
Snout short, profile straight; crest on head; head pores present, usually 1 between center of eyes, 1 pair between rear nostrils; papillae on cheek in horizontal rows; mouth small, relatively horizontal; gill membranes broadly joined to body under throat, with 5 rays; dorsal fin VI + I, 10 (8-10); length of 2nd dorsal base > distance from 2nd dorsal base to tail fin; anal fin I, 9 (9-10); pectoral fin 19 (18-20); pelvic fins I, 5, fused into a complete disc, joined at front, with frenum; tail fin rounded; body covered with scales, scales large, rough, absent from head, 26-27 in lateral series; no lateral line.
Head yellow/gold, body yellowish white; top of head always without central row of dark spots, sometimes with a row of linear dark spots on each side of centerline, those joined by connecting loops of dark dots; top of iris with 5-6 black spots; pupil often with a thin orange outer ring; body with 3 rows of dark marks, some in lower row large, forming Xs in heavily pigmented fish, smaller and circular in pale fish; 3 thin black stripes back from eye to ~level of pectoral, those extend before eye and meet across snout; a white stripe on mid-opercle extends back onto upper pectoral fin base; a large round or triangular dark spot on top corner of operculum, at times another dark spot just behind eye; a dark spot on lower pectoral fin base, sometimes 1-2 stripes or blotches above that; tail fin base with either 2 small, round black spots or a dark grey bar, often C shaped, sometimes split in the middle; dorsal, anal and tail fins with an orange tinge and bluish stripes and edging.
Reaches: 7.5 cm.
Habitat: found on sand or mud substrates.
Depth: 1-72 m.
Distribution: Bermuda to the S Caribbean.
Note: Coryphopterus bol apparently is a synonym, although further work is needed to completely clarify this situation.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Rocks
- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Mud
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef and soft bottom
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Data
- Detritivore
- Omnivore
- Diet
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- Data
- Benthic microalgae
- Detritus
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
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- Benthic
- Data
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent
- Continent + Island (s)
- GC endemic
- Island (s)
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Vulnerable
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 7.5
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 72