Species: Microdesmus dorsipunctatus, Back-spotted worm-goby
pectoral 12-14
Microdesmus dorsipunctatus Dawson, 1968
Back-spotted worm-goby
Slender, wormlike, body height 7% of SL; tail (without fin) < head and body; eyes small but not tiny, not skin covered, on side of head; snout rounded; lower jaw strongly projecting, with small fleshy lump at chin; mouth small, lips thin; teeth in 1-3 rows; gill opening large (not tubular), longer than base of pectoral; dorsal fin spines evenly spaced, XV-XVII, 38-43, origin over tip of pressed-down pectoral; anal II, 34-38; pectoral 12-14 rays; pelvics I, 3, shorter than pectorals; tail fin rounded; dorsal and anal fins confluent with tail fin; scales small, non-overlapping, well separated; body and head scaled except for jaws and head forward of eyes, few or no scales on parts of throat and chest.
White to tan; bar behind eye onto preopercle; lower jaw with 1-2 bars; top of operculum with dark blotch; prominent dark blotch around base of each dorsal fin spine; upper flank with well defined, short dark bars on front part of body (under front ~ ½ of base of the dorsal fin); dark line along midline of belly.
Size: 12.5 cm.
Habitat: muddy bottoms in mangrove creeks.
Depth: 0-10 m?
Southern Baja and the mouth of the Gulf of California to Panama.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Brackish
- Freshwater
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
-
- Soft bottom only
- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- No Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
-
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Mobile benthic worms
- No Data
- Egg Type
-
- No data
- Pelagic larva
- Benthic
- Global Endemism
-
- All species
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- East Pacific endemic
- Regional Endemism
-
- Continent
- Continent only
- TEP endemic
- 3 provinces (Cortez + Mexican + Panamic) endemic
- All species
- Continental TEP endemic
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Data deficient
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 12.5
- Depth Range Min
-
- 0
- Depth Range Max
-
- 10
