Species: Tigrigobius gemmatus, Frecklefin Goby

Tigrigobius gemmatus (Ginsburg, 1939)

Frecklefin Goby

Elongate; head rounded, snout short;a pore midway between front of the two eyes; 2 pores on preopercle; upper jaw with 4-5 rows of teeth, outer row enlarged, inner row not enlarged, large canines absent; lower jaw with 5-6 rows of teeth present, outer row slightly enlarged, inner row enlarged posteriorly, large canines present; gill membranes broadly joined to body under throat, with 5 rays; dorsal fin VII (first 2 spines in adult males filamentous) + I, 11 (10-11); length of 2nd dorsal base > distance from 2nd dorsal base to tail fin; anal fin I, 9 (9-10); pectoral fins 15-16 (14-17); pelvic fins I, 5, disk complete; tail rounded; tail base with 10 rows of scales; 4 very rough scales on tail fin base; no lateral line.

Head and body dark grey, with 8-9 darker, inconspicuous bars on body; three dark bars cross top of head and nape; head is mottled with dark brown and pale spots, spots extending onto cheeks; in life some are yellowish gray; vertical fins weakly barred, membranes dark.

Reaches: 2.5 cm.

Habitat: found in small holes in “coral cement”.

Depth: 0-5 m.

The Bahamas to the S Caribbean.