Goby from Perhentians, Malaysia

Please help with species ID.

It's a blenny of some sort; these guys are really difficult to I.D. without seeing the whole body. I can't find a match in my references.

Cheers,

Marli

Thanks Marli, what are the diagnostic differences here that make it a blenny and not a goby.

The cirri, those protrusions from his head between his eyes. Almost all blennies have them, gobies don't. Although they are not visible in you image a blennies pelvic fin are seperated whereas most gobies pelvis fins are fused together.

Bryce

Exactly, and more eloquently stated than I could have done.

Thanks, but I'm still a bit confused about gobies not having cirri between the eyes. This goby was identified by an expert and seems to have cirri. Fishbase also shows this goby with cirri. Perhaps it's the exception that proves the rule.

Perhaps there are some gobies with cirri. One other thing which is more obvious, (unless they are in a hole!) is the continuous dorsal fin, except in the cases of triplefins, and Ecsenius sp. that have a double lobed dorsal fin.

Marli

Thanks, but I'm still a bit confused about gobies not having cirri between the eyes. This gobywas identified by an expert and seems to have cirri. Fishbase also shows this goby with cirri. Perhaps it's the exception that proves the rule.

Well the image on the first link would certainly have me fooled into thinking it was a blenny but the fishbase image showing the two dorsal fins makes it clear that it is a goby. Perhaps it is the proverbial exception to the rule, as even other members of the same genus don't have "cirri", and it was apparently noteworthy enough to name it after having "tentacles". Sometimes this happens when a fish evolves to mimic another species, such as the false cleanerfish (Aspidontus taeniatus) and mimic filefish (Paraluterus prionurus). If this is the case it would be nice to know how it benefits the goby.

Bart

Thanks everyone for info. At least I now know it's a blenny.