Species: Gobiosoma schultzi, Maracaibo Goby

Gobiosoma schultzi (Ginsburg, 1944)

Maracaibo Goby

Body robust, head rounded, broader than deep; no head barbels; 1 pore between eyes; no pore over opercle; 2 preopercular pores; upper lip separated from snout by a groove along its top edge; teeth in upper jaw enlarged in outer row only, lower jaw with enlarged teeth in outer and inner row; no teeth on roof of mouth; gill membranes broadly joined to body under throat, with 5 rays; dorsal fin VII (no spines filamentous) + I, 10 (10-11); length of 2nd dorsal base > distance from 2nd dorsal base to tail fin; anal fin I, 9 (7-9); pectoral 17 (16-19), rounded; pelvic I, 5, fused into an oval disc extending 3/4 distance to anus; tail fin 14 branched rays, rounded to oval; lateral scales 23; scales on side interrupted, with an isolated small patch of scales just behind pectoral fin base and 7-14 rows on tail base, none on tail fin; no lateral line.

Usually diffusely and irregularly barred, alternating lighter and darker, irregular regions; often nearly uniformly colored, especially in larger males, bottom usually more or less pigmented, moderately or not much lighter than sides; tail uniformly pigmented or faintly cross-barred, bar at tail fin base usually more prominent.

Size: 2.7 cm.

Habitat: coastal habitats in gravel and sand also in rubble and small rocks.

Depth: 0-2 m.

Known only from Lake Maracaibo.