Pyjama Goby, Amblygobius nocturnus (Herre 1945)
Other Names: False Sleeper Goby, Nocturn Goby, Nocturna Goby

A Pyjama Goby, Amblygobius nocturnus, at Lord Howe Island, Tasman Sea, 14 February 2010. Source: Ian V. Shaw / Reef Life Survey. License: CC by Attribution
Summary:
A pale greyish goby with pink stripes along the head and body (most intense on the head), and a row of 8-9 dark spots along the dorsal-fin base (spots may be faint).
Pyjama Gobies dive into burrows when threatened.
Pyjama Gobies dive into burrows when threatened.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J., Amblygobius nocturnus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 18 Feb 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/74
Pyjama Goby, Amblygobius nocturnus (Herre 1945)
More Info
Distribution |
Ashmore Reef, Timor Sea, Rowley Shoals and Monte Bello Islands, Western Australia to Coral Bay, Northern Territory and the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland; also in the Lord Howe Island region. Elsewhere the species is widespread in the tropical, Indo-west-central Pacific. Usually hovers near the bottom over fine sandy, muddy and rubble areas at the base of corals, darting into burrows when threatened. |
Species Citation |
Yabotichthys nocturnus Herre 1945, Copeia 1945(1): 3. Type locality: near Yabots Camp, near San José, Busuanga, Philippines. |
Author |
Bray, D.J. |
Resources |
Pyjama Goby, Amblygobius nocturnus (Herre 1945)
References
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. & Erdmann, M.V. 2016. Descriptions of two new gobies (Gobiidae: Amblygobius) from the tropical western Pacific Ocean. Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation 24: 10-23 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.167891 PDF Open access
Allen, G.R., Hoese, D.F., Paxton, J.R., Randall, J.E., Russell, B.C., Starck, W.A., Talbot, F.H. & Whitley, G.P. 1976. Annotated checklist of the fishes of Lord Howe Island. Records of the Australian Museum 30(15): 365-454 figs 1-2
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
Francis, M. 1993. Checklist of the coastal fishes of Lord Howe, Norfolk, and Kermadec Islands, southwest Pacific Ocean. Pacific Science 47(2): 136-170 figs 1-2
Herre, A.W. 1945. Two new genera and four new gobies from the Philippines and India. Copeia 1945(1): 1-6
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
Kuiter, R.H. 1992. Tropical Reef-Fishes of the Western Pacific, Indonesia and Adjacent Waters. Jakarta : PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama 314 pp. pls.
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.
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.
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. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs.
Russell, B.C. 1983. Annotated checklist of the coral reef fishes in the Capricorn-Bunker group, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Special Publication Series 1: 1-184 figs 1-2