Ocellate Glidergoby, Valenciennea longipinnis (Lay & Bennett 1839)

Other Names: Long-finned Goby, Ocellate Glider Goby, Ocellated Goby, Ocellated Gudgeon, Teardrop Sleeper Goby,, Teardrop Sleeper-goby

A pair of Ocellate Glidergobies, Valenciennea longipinnis, at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland. Source: Mark Shepherd / Lizard Island Filed Guide, http://lifg.australianmuseum.net.au/. License: CC BY Attribution

Summary:

A pale greyish glidergoby with about five blue-edged bars extending to midside, each bar containing a large dark blotch at the bottom, two deep pink stripes on the cheek and gill cover, and paler wavy pink stripes along the back.
Ocellate Glidergobies excavate their own burrows and are usually seen in monogamous pairs. They feed by sifting small invertebrates from mouthfuls of sand.
Video of an Ocellate Glidergoby in Tokyo Sea Life Park.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2021, Valenciennea longipinnis in Fishes of Australia, accessed 19 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/175

Ocellate Glidergoby, Valenciennea longipinnis (Lay & Bennett 1839)

More Info

Distribution	Point Quobba to The Kimberley, and offshore reefs of north Western Australia, Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea, and the far northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, to Jervis Bay, New South Wales. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical, east-Indo-west-central Pacific. Inhabits seagrass beds and areas of fine sand and rubble on shallow reefs in sheltered bays and lagoons, with pairs constructing burrows beneath the rubble.
Features	Dorsal fin V-VI + I,12-13; Anal fin I, 11-13; Longitudinal scale series 80-121. Body depth 6.0-6.7 in SL; no dorsal filamentous spines; caudal fin rhomboid, longer than head, length of caudal fin 2.7 in SL. Body scales ctenoid, becoming cycloid anteriorly below first or second dorsal spine; head or midline of nape without scales; side of nape with scales extending forward to above middle of operculum; usually scaled pectoral fin base in adult; partly or fully scaled prepelvic area of adult.
Colour	Pale grey body grading to white ventrally, with five, blue-edged bars extending ventrally to middle of side, each bar containing reddish brown to black blotch at bottom; blue bands; spots on head; pectoral fin base with a pair of pink stripes; dorsal fin with narrow pink bands and blue to reddish spots on second dorsal and caudal fins.
Feeding	Feeds by sifting small invertebrates (e.g. copepods, amphipods, ostracods, nematodes, and foraminiferans) from mouthfuls of sand.
Biology	Monogamous pairs construct several burrows beneath rubble in shallow lagoon reefs. When threatened, the gobies dive into their burrows. Spawning occurs within one burrow, and the male parent guards and fans the egg clutches, while the female constructs a mound to aid water movement within the burrow.
Fisheries	Traded in the aquarium industry.
Remarks	Unlike shrimp gobies, glidergoby pairs usually excavate their own burrows and are only occasionally found with alpheid shrimps.
Etymology	The specific name is from the Latin longus (= long) and pinnis (= fin) in reference either to the extended first dorsal-fin rays or the long, pointed caudal fin.
Species Citation	Eleotris longipinnis Lay & Bennett 1839. Fishes in, The Zoology of Captain Beechey's voyage: 64, pl. 20(3). Type locality: Ryukyu Islands (as Loo-Choo).
Author	Bray, D.J. 2021
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Ocellate Glidergoby, Valenciennea longipinnis (Lay & Bennett 1839)

References

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