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Species: Varicus marilynae, Orangebelly goby

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

yellow above red; Ds & C yellow bars
pelvics red; A red + black margin
D2 8; A 7
pectoral 16-18
pelvic ray tips: 1-4 branched, fleshy, 1-3 unite -> flat pad
pelvics separate, reach center A
18-19 lateral scales; belly no scales

Varicus marilynae Gilmore, 1979

Orangebelly goby

Body short, somewhat depressed at front; head large; eyes large; snout shorter than eye; head without pores; front and rear nostrils are short tubes; mouth opens at front, oblique, upper jaw extending to middle of pupil; teeth in both jaws in at least 3 rows at front; 5-6 enlarged teeth in outer row; tongue slightly bilobed; 7 gill rakers on lower arch; gill opening restricted to length of pectoral fin base; gill membranes with 5 rays; dorsal fin VII, no spines elongate, + I, 8; length of 2nd dorsal base > distance from 2nd dorsal base to tail fin; anal fin I, 7; pectoral fin 18 (16-18), pointed, reaching to anal fin origin; pelvic fins I, 5, completely separate, no membrane between 5th rays, no front membrane between spinesrays 1-4 branched only at flattened ray tips, tips of 1st 3 rays joined to form a fleshy flattened pad, 5th ray greatly reduced relative to 4th, fins not reaching 3rd anal fin ray; scales on body rough, 4 at tail fin base, 18-19 in lateral series, extend from tail base to under mid-pectoral; belly without scales; no lateral line.

Pink to red lower head and body, upper head and body brown; 9 brown, green-edged bars extending down from top of head and body, 3 of those on body are long, the remainder short; dorsal fins with 3 yellow stripes; pectoral fins orange; pelvic fins red; anal fin with red base and black margin; tail fin with yellow bars, lower 2 or 3 rays black.

Reaches 2.9 cm.

Habitat: open sand and/or shell-hash bottom with scattered small rocks.

Depth: 61-91 m.

Florida.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Soft bottom only
  • Sand & gravel
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Planktivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Zooplankton
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Benthic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • Greater Caribbean endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
  • All species.
Regional Endemism
  • GC endemic
  • Continent only
  • Continent
  • All species..
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
IUCN Red List
  • Data deficient
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 2.9
Depth Range Min
  • 61
Depth Range Max
  • 91