Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information system

Español  Contact

Species: Coryphopterus kuna, Kuna Goby, Kuna Sand-goby

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

top eye: 2 rows black dots
eye to mouth: black bar
head & body: orange spots
D2 & A: 8
D1 tip black, lower fin - 2 rows black dots or black stripe
pelvics fully joined behind, no front membrane
pectoral 14-15, faint upper spot
C base: no marks

Coryphopterus kuna Victor, 2007

Kuna Goby, Kuna Sand-goby

Snout short, profile straight; head pores present: one central, one before and one after eye, 1 pair between rear nostrils; papillae on cheek in rows vertically along lower operculum and along lower rim of preopercle; mouth oblique, reaches to under center of eye; gill rakers 2+6; gill membranes broadly joined to body under throat, with 5 rays; dorsal fin VI + I, 8 rays; length of 2nd dorsal base > distance from 2nd dorsal base to tail fin; anal fin I, 8 rays; pectoral fin 14-15 rays; pelvic fins I, 5, completely separate at front between spines and no frenum, joined for full length of fin at rear, innermost rays branched and longest; tail fin rounded, with 12 branched rays in center and 9 unbranched rays above and 8 below; body covered with scales, scales large, rough, absent on head except on nape to level of preopercular margin, 25 in lateral series; no lateral line.

Translucent; head and body with scattered translucent orange blotches and small black spots; snout, cheeks, eyes and top of head whitish; two rows of small black spots across top of eye-ball; a black bar from eye down to rear end of top jaw; head without black stripes; no black blotch behind eye in adults; ~5 elongate internal white blotches along vertebral column, a large cluster of small black dots internally on the stomach area; first dorsal fin with upper front tip black, and 2 rows of black dots across center and base of fin, or a black stripe across center of fin, no black blotch between spines II & III; second dorsal with 2 rows of black dots; 2 lines of black spots forming an X across the underside of the throat and covering the pelvic fins of the male; pectoral base white, with a faint black spot on upper part, center of fin whitish.

Reaches ~2.5 cm.

Lives on sandy substrates around reefs.

Depth range: 2.5-53 m.

Florida to the S Caribbean.


High Resolution Map Download

Species Data Create Report Export as Word File Export as Excel File
Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Sand & gravel
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Soft bottom only
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Data
  • Detritivore
  • Omnivore
Diet
  • Data
  • Benthic microalgae
  • Detritus
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
Egg Type
  • Benthic
  • Data
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • GC endemic
  • Island (s)
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Data deficient
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 2.5
Depth Range Min
  • 2
Depth Range Max
  • 53