Species: Gobiosoma paradoxum, Paradox goby
head & body pale spots
D2 12-13
Gobiosoma paradoxum (Günther, 1861)
Paradox goby
Head rounded; mouth large, oblique, lower jaw heavy, slightly projecting; snout profile slopes abruptly down; narrow between eyes (< ½ eye diameter); no barbells on head; dorsal fin VII (1st spine filamentous in male) + I,12 (12-13) rays; anal fin 10-(10-11) rays; pectoral 18 (16-19) rays; pelvics fused in disc; male genital papilla slender, pointed; body scaly behind level of middle of soft dorsal, with triangular extension of scaly area forward along mid-flank to a level between the front of the soft dorsal & the middle of the spiny dorsal, usually an isolated oblong patch of scales under the pectoral; 13-20 rows of mid-lateral scales; 4-6 large, rough scales on base of tail fin.
Head and body dark grey-brown to reddish, with many small pale spots; head with 3 small black spots - behind eye, at top-rear of preopercle & of operculum); upper body with 5-8 faint bars; flank with series short black dashes; Male with fins dark to black, with 3 black bands & white 1st spine on 1st dorsal, 2 black bands on 2nd dorsal, anal dark with white tip, pelvic margin white. Female 2 oblique black bands from eye down below bottom jaw, oblique black bands on lower preopercle and opercle to throat, dorsals with 3 lines of black spots; tail with 6-7 wavy dark bars; pectoral & pelvic with faint bars.
Size: 4.7 cm.
Habitat: rocky and rubble bottoms.
Depth: 0-5 m.
The mouth of the Gulf of California to Ecuador.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Brackish
- Non Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Bottom only
- Habitat
-
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Rocks
- Sand & gravel
- Mangrove
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Estuary
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Mud
- Reef and soft bottom
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
-
- No Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
-
- No Data
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Mobile benthic worms
- Egg Type
-
- Pelagic larva
- Benthic
- No data
- Global Endemism
-
- East Pacific endemic
- All species
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- Regional Endemism
-
- Continent only
- 3 provinces (Cortez + Mexican + Panamic) endemic
- TEP endemic
- All species
- Continental TEP endemic
- Continent
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
-
- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Depth Range Min
-
- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 5
- Length Max
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- 4.7
