Redhead Pocillopora Goby, Paragobiodon modestus (Regan 1908)

Other Names: Redhead, Redhead Goby, Warthead Coralgoby, Warthead Goby, Warty-headed Goby

A Redhead Pocillopora Goby, Paragobiodon modestus, in the coral Pocillopora aliciae, Cabbage Tree Bay, Manly, New South Wales, May 2022. Source: John Sear / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:

A small blackish to brownish coral goby with a reddish-orange head and relatively short head papillae. This species lives within the branches of Pocillopora corals.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2023, Paragobiodon modestus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 03 Apr 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/138

Quick Facts

CAAB Code:37428215

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Depth:3-15 m

Habitat:Reef associated, Pocillopora corals

Max Size:3.5 cm TL

Species Image Gallery

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Distribution	Rowley Shoals and offshore reefs of north Western Australia, Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island in the Timor Sea, and the northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, to Broughton Island, New South Wales, with juveniles to Sydney; also Lord Howe Province in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere the species occurs in the Indo-west-central Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa, to the East Indian region and Papua New Guinea, north to Japan (Ryukyu Islands), east to French Polynesia. Inhabits Pocillopora corals, relying on the coral host for food, shelter and a breeding site on which to lay their eggs.
Features	Dorsal fin VI + I, 9; Anal fin I, 9-10; Transverse scales 10-11; Longitudinal scale series 22-24. Body depth at level of pelvic fins 3.0-3.4 in SL; mouth strongly curved downward; lips thick; chin heavy and square. Opercles with short, soft prickles or fibrils which also occur from lower margin of preopercles to mouth; pelvic fins also covered with similar prickles. Dorsal fins very close together; dorsal base discontinuous; 2nd dorsal higher than 1st, posterior rays elongated; anal similar to 2nd dorsal but lower; caudal rounded; pectoral broad. Scales ctenoid except head, nape, pectoral region, breast and midventral portion of abdomen; complete pelvic fin frenum and basal membrane.
Biology	An obligate coral-dweller, with pairs of small groups living among branches of Pocillopora corals. Coral gobies are hermaphrodites. Immature individuals are female and may change sex to become males during the life cycle.
Similar Species	The Redhead Pocillopora Goby is often mistaken for the Redhead Stylophora Goby, *Paragobiodon echinocephalus, which lives in Stylophora* corals. While the colour pattern similar to that of P. echinocephalus, the Redhead Pocillopora Goby has shorter papillae on the head.
Etymology	The specific name is from the Latin modestus (= moderate, modest, unassuming), possibly in reference to the blackish-grey colouration of this species.
Species Citation	Gobiopterus modestus Regan 1908, Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 2nd Series Zoology 12(3): 242, pl. 29(1). Type locality: Egmont Island and Salomon Island, Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2023
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Redhead Pocillopora Goby, Paragobiodon modestus (Regan 1908)