Goby

Stuck with this one. It has been suggested it may be a juvenile Oplopomus caninoides but not really happy with that due to the head profile particularly. Any better ideas please? Taken Lembeh Straits.

Hi Jim,

Did you look at Istigobius nigroocellatus (Black-spotted sandgoby). It has the steeper snout profile of your specimen and I think a better match in colour pattern. Fishbase only has half-decent images for the species but worth looking at. Reef Fish of the East Indies has a much nicer image, but I couldn't find any like that good online until yours, assuming it is I. nigroocellatus.

Bart

Thanks Bart. Very helpful as usual. The last photo on Fishbase is not a bad match, especially if you copy it and lighten it up a bit. However, all photos on FB show spotty fins all round; mine are clear.

I have found one very good match to mine on a Japanese site (fishPix@kahaku.go.jp) which I have found pretty reliable - they refer to it as I nigrocellatus - but again the fins are clear

Can you tell me what the fins are like in the photo in your book please?

Looks like it might be one to send to an expert - Helen Larsen or John Randall perhaps

Jim

The RFEI image has transparent dorsal fins and light white-brown spots (lining up to appear as vertical banding) on the tail fin. I think some, but much less, are present close behind the dark tail-base blotch on your image. Perhaps yours is a young individual as you suggested earlier. I can take a picture from the book and email it to you but I wouldn't be surprised if Jack and Helen would be pleased to see your image.

Bart

Thanks again Bart. Sent it to Helen

To close this thread down, have now heard from Helen Larsen and she confirms Bart's ID as Istigobius nigrocellatus, Black-spotted Sandgoby - juvenile