Species: Microgobius meeki, Meek’s goby

black blotch under D origin then narrow blue stripe to end tail base

scales mostly rough
Microgobius meeki Evermann & Marsh, 1899
Meek’s goby
Head and body compressed; a fleshy crest on nape in both sexes, lower in male; 2 pores on preopercle, no pore between front of eyes; mouth large, ~40 degrees from horizontal, upper jaw slightly larger in males than in females; tip of tongue divided; no teeth on front of roof of mouth; lower jaw with 7-9 enlarged teeth in outer row; gill membranes broadly joined to body under throat, with 5 rays; dorsal fin VII, II-VI produced into filaments in males (longest reaching tail fin base or beyond), filaments only slightly produced in females, + I, 16 (15-17) rays; length of 2nd dorsal base > distance from 2nd dorsal base to tail fin; anal fin I, 15-17 rays; pectoral fins 21-22 (19-23); pelvic fins I, 5, fused to form disc; tail fin long, pointed, ~41% of SL; scales small, mostly rough; body scaled from rear forward to tip of depressed pectoral fin, head scaleless; lateral scale rows 45-60; no lateral line.
Males: body light dusky brown, slightly darker on top; body with a dark blotch below dorsal-fin origin, bordered anteriorly and posteriorly by pale blue areas, a blue stripe along the upper flank to the base of the tail fin; top of body below dorsal fin base marked with 6 dashes; pectoral base and head slightly darker than body with larger speckles; cheek and opercle with 2 irregular oblique blue lines; dorsal fins dusky, first dorsal heavily stippled with brown dots, a pale stripe basally, darker distally; anal fin dusky with pale margin; tail-fin dusky with narrow dark marginal stripe on top and bottom. Females: similar to males except; bottom of body above anal fin pale; spot on body below dorsal-fin origin very well-defined, bordered by pale blue bars, which are bordered by narrow dark bars; spinous dorsal fin dusky, often with small spot on first, third or fourth interradial membranes; soft dorsal fin dusky with median pale stripe; top half of tail-fin with several large pale spots.
Reaches: 5.5 cm.
Habitat: shallow, mud-bottoms and mangrove areas.
Depth: 1-10 m.
Puerto Rico to Santos, Brazil.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Brackish
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Estuary
- Mangrove
- Mud
- Soft bottom only
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Planktivore
- Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
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- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Zooplankton
- Pelagic fish eggs
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Benthic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- West Atlantic Endemic
- All species.
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- All species..
- Also in Brazil
- Extends South of GC
- Continental primarily
- Island (s)
- Continent + Island (s)
- Continent
- GC non-endemic
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 5.5
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 10