Hairfin Goby, Yongeichthys nebulosus (Forsskål 1775)

Other Names: Hair-finned Goby, Poisonous Goby, Shadow Goby, Three-blotch Goby

Summary:

A pale greenish-brown to greyish goby with three large dark brown blotches along the side, indistinct brown scribbling on the head and body, brown spots on the dorsal and caudal fins, and elongate filaments on second and third dorsal-fin spines.
Care must be taken when handling the Hairfin Goby, as it is poisonous to eat. The skin and internal organs contain tetrodotoxin.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2018, Yongeichthys nebulosus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 24 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/184

Hairfin Goby, Yongeichthys nebulosus (Forsskål 1775)

More Info

Distribution	Recorded in Australia from Shark Bay, Western Australia, to Moreton Bay, Queensland. Elsewhere the species is widespread in the tropical Indo-west Pacific. Inhabits silty and muddy bottoms around inner reefs, mangrove areas and in the lower reaches of rivers and streams.
Features	Dorsal fin VII + 9; Anal fin I, 9; Longitudinal scale series 29-30. Body depth 3.2-3.4 in SL; second and third dorsal-fin spines elongate and filamentous; caudal fin rounded, slightly shorter than head; head without scales; most body scales ctenoid, breast, base of pectoral fin and anterior part of abdomen with cycloid scales; midline of nape without scales or 1-2 scales just before origin of dorsal fin.
Feeding	Feeds mostly on benthic crustaceans and polychaete worms.
Remarks	The Hairfin Goby contains tetrodotoxin in its skin and internal organs.
Species Citation	Gobius nebulosus Forsskål, 1775, Descriptiones animalium: 24. Type locality: Red Sea
Author	Bray, D.J. 2018
Resources	Australian Faunal Directory

Hairfin Goby, Yongeichthys nebulosus (Forsskål 1775)

References

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Blaber, S.J.M., Young, J.W. & Dunning, M.C. 1985. Community structure and zoogeographic affinities of the coastal fishes of the Dampier region of north-western Australia. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 36: 247-266. (as Ctenogobius nebulosus)

Black, R., Robertson, A.I., Peterson, C.H. & Peterson, N.M. 1990. Fishes and benthos of near-shore seagrass and sandflat habitats at Monkey Mia Shark Bay, Western Australia. pp 245-261, in Berry, P.F., Bradshaw, S.D. & Wilson, B.R. (eds). Research in Shark Bay: Report of the France-Australe Biocentenary Expedition Committee, Perth: Western Australia Museum.

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