Species: Evorthodus lyricus, Lyre Goby

Evorthodus lyricus (Girard, 1858)

Lyre Goby

Head short, compressed, snout profile steeply rounded; 2 pores between eyes; 1 pore behind eye and 1 on preopercle; short mouth overhung by snout; teeth with flattened, forked tips, in single row on side of each jaw, adults with 4-6 teeth in second row at front of top jaw; gill membranes broadly joined to body under throat, with 5 rays; dorsal fin VI (elongate in male, may reach base of tail fin) + I, 10-11 rays; length of 2nd dorsal base > distance from 2nd dorsal base to tail fin; anal fin I, 10-11 rays; pelvics fused in disc that is not fused to belly; tail fin large and round in female, oval in male; scales large (27-31 rows on body), rough at rear of body, smooth at front, present on sides of head; no lateral line.

Light tan in females and immatures to greenish tan in mature males; sides of male with 5-6 irregular black bars, interrupted at midside by a blotch, in female there are 2 alternating rows of dark spots; gill cover of female mainly blackish; 1st dorsal dusky orange, with oval black spots on membranes, a large dark blotch on base of fin extends onto upper back; 2nd dorsal and anal fins dusky orange; end of tail base with 2 black, diamond-shaped or triangular spots; tail fin dusky; fin of mature males with 2 reddish horizontal stripes bordering a central blackish stripe; pelvics greenish, with a white border.

Reaches: 15.0 cm.

Habitat: Muddy areas of bays and estuaries; enters fresh water.

Depth: 0-10 m.

Chesapeake Bay to Sao Paolo, Brazil.