Species: Varicus bucca, Puffcheek Goby, Puffedcheek Goby

Varicus bucca Robins & Bohlke, 1961

Puffedcheek Goby, Puffcheek Goby

Body short, somewhat compressed; head large, compressed, narrow; cheeks puffy; no pores on head; between eyes very narrow, < ¼ pupil diameter; tongue deeply cleft to truncate; teeth in upper jaw in four rows, outer row greatly enlarged; teeth in lower jaw in three rows, outer row with 3-4 enlarged, inner row with 5-6 greatly enlarged teeth extending 1/2 way to rear of jaw; 7 gill rakers from angle to front limit of lower arm, rakers short, stubby, first at the angle slightly longer; gill opening a vertical slit restricted to length of pectoral fin base; gill membranes with 5 rays; dorsal fin VII, no spines elongate, + I, 9; length of 2nd dorsal base > distance from 2nd dorsal base to tail fin; anal fin I, 7-8; pectoral fin 16-19; pelvic fins I, 5, 5th ray greatly reduced and attached to 4th, rays unbranched, with fleshy tips, membranes between them deeply indented, fins almost entirely separated, reaching to about anal fin origin; caudal fin rounded with 17 segmented rays; body covered with large rough scales, no scales on head, nape, pectoral fin base, chest and centerline of belly; scales rough on tail base becoming less rough towards front, 22-27 in lateral series, originate under inner base of pectoral; 2 very rough scales on tail fin base; belly scaled or center scaleless; no lateral line.

Head pale but with scattered melanophores on the cheeks and gill cover; body somewhat dusky above, unmarked below, the melanophores concentrated near scale margins; paired fins unmarked; dorsal-fin spines and rays with 2-3 grey spots per element; outer 2/3rd of anal-fin membrane densely covered with melanophores the entire fin appearing dusky.

Reaches: 4.5 cm.

Habitat: coral sands.

Depth: 110-384 m.

The Bahamas to the SW Caribbean.