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Species: Microgobius curtus, Low-crested goby

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nape almost no crest
both sexes - long D spines
male: nape & side - yellow spots on blue blotch
male: A yellow
female: pectoral base - 2 blue spots
female: under D1: blue bar + 2 pale bars
female: rear body pale

Microgobius curtus Ginsburg, 1939

Low-crested Goby

Head and body compressed; low fleshy crest on nape present or absent in both sexes; 2-3 pores on preopercle; mouth large, nearly vertical; tip of tongue divided; dorsal fin VII (in both sexes 2nd to 5th spines very long, extending to middle of soft dorsal) + I, 15-17 rays; anal I, 16-17 rays; pectoral fin 20-22 rays; tail fin long, oval or pointed (in males); pelvics fused to form disc; scales on body from pectoral axil rearwards, in 62-78 lateral rows; patch of rough scales on flank behind base of pectoral fin, remaining scales smooth.

Male body yellowish-green; central flank above belly blue-white overlaid by orange spots, and a faint dusky blotch under front of spinous dorsal; cheeks and opercle with blue stripes and orange spots; dorsal fins with 2-4 rows of oange spots, outer margin of second dorsal orange; anal fin yellow to brown, with whitish margin; tail fin yellowish to reddish below, with rows reddish spots above, with an orange marginal stripe above and a reddish one below; pectoral base with orange spots; pelvics dusky yellow. Female yellow-green with 3 narrow pale bars (the first one blue) under spinous dorsal; pectoral base with 2 large blue spots; a cluster of yellow-orange spots behind eye and above pectoral base; base of tail (behind anus) abruptly paler than body; dorsal and tail fins similar to those of male; pelvics whitish; anal darker basally.

Size: 5.5 cm.

Habitat: mangroves with mud bottom.

Depth: 0-6 m.

El Salvador to northern Peru.


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Salinity
  • Brackish
  • Non Marine
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore Only
  • Inshore
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
  • Bottom only
Habitat
  • Estuary
  • Soft bottom only
  • Mud
  • Mangrove
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
Feeding Group
  • No Data
  • Planktivore
  • Carnivore
Diet
  • Pelagic fish larvae
  • No Data
  • Zooplankton
Egg Type
  • Pelagic larva
  • Benthic
  • No data
Global Endemism
  • East Pacific endemic
  • Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
  • All species
Regional Endemism
  • Continent only
  • Continental TEP endemic
  • Continent
  • Panamic province endemic
  • TEP endemic
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 5.5
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 6