Species: Chriolepis species A, Wavy barred goby

Chriolepis species A

Wavy Barred Goby

Body robust; head broad, plump, rounded; eyes raised on top of head, close together; head without pores; papillae on most parts of head and nape; front nostril larger than rear nostril, front one a narrow tube, rear one lower and wider; mouth slightly oblique, lower jaw slightly projecting, top jaw not reaching under mid-pupil; tongue broad, front straight; gill rakers short, 8-9; dorsal fin VII (none elongated) + I, 10 (10-11); I, 10 (9-10) anal fin rays, pectoral fins long, reaching past anus, with 15-17 (usually 16); pelvic fins I,5, completely separate, without front frenum, without membrane joining inner rays, rays 1-4 branched, without flattened or fleshy tips, fin long (reaching past anus, sometimes to anal fin); tail fin rounded; scales on almost all of body, 24-29 rows, large and rough on base of tail, smaller and smooth at front of body.

Color (preserved fish): light brown to yellowish. Female: body with 6-7 dark bars that have darker wavy edges that reach onto dorsal fin; two bars across top of head; 3 lines radiate from eye - up to rear, down to rear, straight down; a thin dark margin to anal fin; pelvics and pectorals clear; tail with 7-9 distinct very thin dark bars, ones on base of fin are crescent shaped. Male: uniform, without any of bars or dark anal margin.

Size: reaches 2.4 cm.

Habitat: cobble and sand bottom.

Depth: 13-35 m.

Known only from the western Gulf of California.