Species: Ilypnus gilberti, Cheekspot goby

chin - black
A black stripe

Ilypnus gilberti (Eigenmann y Eigenmann, 1889)
Cheekspot goby
Body slender, compressed; ridge over eye expanded at rear; tongue tip in 2 lobes; mouth slightly oblique, top jaw reaches under middle of eye; shoulder girdle before base of pectoral fin with 1 (rarely 2) skin flaps; dorsal fin V (IV-VI) + I, 15-17 rays; anal fin I, 14-16 rays; pelvics form a cup, inserted under base of pectoral fin; scales very small, smooth, imbedded in skin, absent on head, nape, throat and base of pectoral.
Light tan; under head with black stripe; bright white patches at upper corner of mouth and chin tip; sides of body peppered with fine dark dots: an iridescent blue-black blotch on gill cover; anal fin with central broad black stripe; dorsal fins red-brown with white margin, each ray with black dots that form several stripes; tail fin rust colored above and below, with grey center and white margin, and about 5 wavy brown bars in center; lower rays of pectoral fin and edges of median fins bright white.
Size: reaches 6.4 cm.
Habitat: intertidal sand bottoms in bays and estuaries.
Depth: 0-7 m.
Northern California to Baja and the western and northeastern Gulf of California.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Brackish
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Bottom only
- Habitat
-
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Estuary
- Soft bottom only
- Sand & gravel
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
-
- Sessile molluscs
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Mobile benthic worms
- Data
- Egg Type
-
- Benthic
- Pelagic larva
- Data
- Global Endemism
-
- East Pacific endemic
- All species
- TEP non-endemic
- Regional Endemism
-
- Continent only
- Continent
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) non-endemic
- California province, primarily
- All species
- Temperate Eastern Pacific, primarily
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
-
- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
- IUCN Red List
-
- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Length Max
-
- 6.4
- Depth Range Min
-
- 0
- Depth Range Max
-
- 7