Greeneye Dartgoby, Ptereleotris microlepis (Bleeker 1856)


Other Names: Green-eye Dart-goby, Green-eyed Goby, Long-finned Gudgeon, Pale Dartfish, Pearly Dartfish, Smallscale Hovergoby

Greeneye Dartgobies, Ptereleotris microlepis, at Kadavu Island, Fiji, April 2016. Source: Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Summary:
A pale bluish-grey dartgoby with a narrow, pale blue-edged, black bar on the pectoral-fin base, irregular iridescent blue bars and spots behind the eye, and a narrow dark margin on the dorsal fin and upper caudal-fin lobe. 

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2022, Ptereleotris microlepis in Fishes of Australia, accessed 30 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/195

Greeneye Dartgoby, Ptereleotris microlepis (Bleeker 1856)

More Info


Distribution

North West Cape and offshore reefs of north Western Australia, and Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea, to Port Hacking, Sydney, New South Wales; also Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean, reefs in the Coral Sea, and the Lord Howe Island region in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical, Indo-west-central Pacific.
Inhabit rubble and sandy areas in lagoon and seaward reefs, deeper reef slopes, and shallow silty estuaries and inlets. Groups hover above the bottom to feed on zooplankton. Monogamous pairs occupy a burrow, although juveniles may dive into the same burrow when threatened.

Features

Dorsal fin VII, 25-29; Anal fin I, 24-27; Vertebrae 26-27. 
Chin with a median, fleshy protuberance narrowing to a thin fold. Scales embedded, close-set, non imbricate (except on posterior part). First dorsal fin lower than second; second dorsal and anal fins elevated anteriorly. 

Colour

Pale to bluish-grey; pectoral fin base with a narrow, pale blue-edged, black band; postorbital head with irregular, pale to iridescent blue bands and spots. 

Feeding

Hovers above the substrate to feed on zooplankton.

Similar Species

Although similar to Ptereleotris heteroptera, the Greeneye Dartgoby lacks a bluish mark on the tail.

Etymology

The specific name microlepis is from the Greek mikros (= small) and lepis (= scale) in reference to the very small embedded scales of this species.

Species Citation

Eleotris microlepis Bleeker 1856, Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indië 11:102. Type locality: Banda, Indonesia.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2022

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Greeneye Dartgoby, Ptereleotris microlepis (Bleeker 1856)

References


Allen, G.R. 1993. Fishes of Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 44: 67-91 

Allen, G.R. 1996. New records of reef and shore fishes from northwestern Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 18: 109-112 

Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls. 

Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp. 

Allen, G.R. & Russell, B.C. 1986. Part VII Fishes. pp. 79-103 in Berry, P.F. (ed.) Faunal Surveys of the Rowley Shoals, Scott Reef and Seringapatam Reef, northwestern Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 25: 1-106 

Allen, G.R. & Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 1994. Fishes of Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin 412: 1-21 

Allen, G.R. & Steene, R.C. 1979. The Fishes of Christmas Island, Indian Ocean. Aust. Natl. Parks Wldlf. Ser. Spec. Publ. 2. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service 81 pp. 15 pls. 

Allen, G.R., Steene, R.C. & Orchard, M. 2007. Fishes of Christmas Island. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 2 edn, 284 pp. 

Alleyne, H.G. & Macleay, W.J. 1877. The ichthyology of the Chevert Expedition. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 1(3–4): 261-281, 321-359, pls 3-9, 10-17 (described as Eleotris elongata) See ref at BHL

Bleeker, P. 1856. Vijfde bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van de Banda-eilanden. Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indië 11: 93-110 

Gill, T.N. 1863. On the gobioids of the eastern coast of the United States. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia 15(5): 267-271 

Hobbs, J-P.A., Newman, S.J., Mitsopoulos, G.E.A., Travers, M.J., Skepper, C.L., Gilligan, J.J., Allen, G.R., Choat, H.J. & Ayling, A.M. 2014. Checklist and new records of Christmas Island fishes: the influence of isolation, biogeography and habitat availability on species abundance and community composition. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 30: 184–202 See ref online

Hobbs, J-P.A., Newman, S .J., Mitsopoulos, G.E.A., Travers, M.J., Skepper, C.L., Gilligan, J.J., Allen, G.R., Choat, H.J. & Ayling, A.M. 2014. Fishes of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands: new records, community composition and biogeographic significance. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 30: 203–219 See ref online

Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp. 

Johnson, J.W. 2010. Fishes of the Moreton Bay Marine Park and adjacent continental shelf waters, Queensland, Australia. pp. 299-353 in Davie, P.J.F. & Phillips, J.A. Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Marine Biological Workshop, The Marine Fauna and Flora of Moreton Bay. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 54(3) 

Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp. 

Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P. 2013. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa 3696(1): 1-293 

Munro, I.S.R. 1967. The Fishes of New Guinea. Port Moresby : Dept. Agric. Stock Fish. 651 pp. 23 figs 84 pls. 

Myers, R.F. 1999. Micronesian Reef Fishes. A comprehensive guide to the coral reef fishes of Micronesia. Guam : Coral Graphics vi 330 pp. 192 pls. 

Oxley, W.G., Ayling, A.M., Cheal, A.J. & Osborne, K. 2004. Marine surveys undertaken in the Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs Marine National Nature Reserve, December 2003. Townsville : Australian Institute of Marine Sciences 64 pp. 

Randall, J.E. 2005. Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press 707 pp. 

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs. 

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs. 

Randall, J.E. & Hoese, D.F. 1985. A revision of the dartfishes, genus Ptereleotris (Perciformes: Gobioidei). Indo-Pacific Fishes 7: 1-36 figs 1-11 pls 1-4 

Russell, B.C., Larson, H.K., Hutchins, J.B. & Allen, G.R. 2005. Reef fishes of the Sahul Shelf. The Beagle, Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory Supplement 1 2005: 83-105

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37435019

Depth:1-22 m

Fishing:Aquarium fish

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:13 cm TL

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CAAB distribution map