Species: Microgobius signatus, Signal goby
lower head orange + oblique blue stripes
narrow pearl, black-edged bar under origin D1
D1 19-20; A 20
scales mostly smooth
Microgobius signatus Poey, 1876
Signal goby
Head and body compressed; a fleshy crest on nape in both sexes; 3 pores on preopercle, no pore between front of eyes; mouth large, inclined at 45 degrees; tip of tongue divided; no teeth on front of roof of mouth; lower jaw with 4-5 enlarged teeth in outer row; gill membranes broadly joined to body under throat, with 5 rays; dorsal fin VII, 1st spine elongate in females not males, + I, 19-20 rays; length of 2nd dorsal base > distance from 2nd dorsal base to tail fin; anal fin I, 20 (occasionally 19) rays; pectoral fin 19-22; pelvic fins I, 5, fused to form disc; tail fin long, oval; scales small, mostly smooth; body scaled from rear forward to tip of depressed pectoral fin, head scaleless; lateral scale rows range 77-90; no lateral line.
Males: body uniformly light brown; head with two pale blue stripes; top of body along dorsal-fin base with 8-10 short, dark lines; a small dark spot on upper tail fin base; a vertical pale bar with darkened borders extending from the front of first dorsal fin to the pectoral fin; dorsal fins with reddish base, yellow center and pale blue submarginal stripes; tail fin reddish, with upper and lower yellow stripes. Female similar, but lower tail base pale greenish-yellow running into stripe of the same color on the tail; upper tail with yellow spots.
Reaches: 6.0 cm.
Depth: 1-10 m.
Habitat: sandy bottom areas around islands and coasts.
Cuba to the S Caribbean.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Habitat
-
- Soft bottom only
- Sand & gravel
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Reef Associated
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- Carnivore
- Planktivore
- Data
- Diet
-
- Zooplankton
- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
-
- Data
- Benthic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
-
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- All species.
- Regional Endemism
-
- Continent + Island (s)
- GC endemic
- Caribbean endemic
- All species..
- Continent
- Island (s)
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
-
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
-
- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Length Max
-
- 6
- Depth Range Min
-
- 1
- Depth Range Max
-
- 10
