Species: Elacatinus evelynae, Sharknose Goby

Elacatinus evelynae (Bohlke & Robins, 1968)

Sharknose Goby

Elongate; head compressed; a pore midway between front of the two eyes; 2 pores on preopercle; snout pointed, shark-like, with mouth underneath; upper lip connected to snout; teeth in upper jaw conical, no enlarged canines; tongue tip emarginated; gill membranes broadly joined to body under throat, with 5 rays; dorsal fin VII + I, 11 (10-12); length of 2nd dorsal base > distance from 2nd dorsal base to tail fin; anal fin I, 10.5 (10-12); pectoral fins 16 (15-18); pelvic fins I,5, disk complete; tail rounded; no scales; no lateral line.

Head and body blackish; a white to bright yellow V across snout continues back as a mid-side stripe, changing color to blue behind the pectoral in the yellow-blue form, extending onto tail fin.

Reaches 4.0 cm.

Habitat: Coral heads, rock rubble and large sponges.

Depth: 1-103 m.

Bahamas to the S Caribbean.

Note: Yellow form: Little Bahama Bank, Nassau area, Exuma chain, Eleuthera Island, San Salvador, Berry Islands, northern Andros Island. Yellow blue form: NW Bahamas, Acklins Island, Crooked Island, Hogsty Reef, Caicos Bank, Turks Bank, U.S. Virgin Islands through the Lesser Antilles, Aves Is. (west of Guadeloupe), Barbados, and the islands off Venezuela (Isla de Margarita, Los Roques, Bonaire, Curacao). White Form: Jamaica, Pedro Banks, Serranilla Bank, Swan Is., Isla de Providencia, San Andres.