Blueband Glidergoby, Valenciennea strigata (Broussonet 1782)


Other Names: Blueband Glider Goby, Blueband Goby, Bluestreak Goby, Golden-head Sleeper Goby, Golden-head Sleeper-goby, Golden-headed Sleeper

Blueband Glidergobies, Valenciennea strigata, at Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean. Source: David Pittock. License: All rights reserved

Summary:
A pale greyish glidergoby with a yellowish head, a curved bluish bar below the eye across the gill cover, and a thin pale bluish bar on the pectoral-fin base. Dorsal-fin spines 2-4 are prolonged as filaments.

Blueband Glidergobies form monogamous pairs, and are usually seen hovering near their burrow. They feed by sifting small invertebrates from mouthfuls of sand. 

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2023, Valenciennea strigata in Fishes of Australia, accessed 09 Oct 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/179

Blueband Glidergoby, Valenciennea strigata (Broussonet 1782)

More Info


Distribution

Dampier Archipelago and offshore reefs of north Western Australia to Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea (and possibly north to off Melville Island, Northern Territory), and the far northern Great Barrier Reef and reefs in the Coral Sea to at least Jervis Bay, New South Wales; also Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean, and Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere the species is widespread in the Indo-west central Pacific.


Inhabits hard bottom, sand and rubble areas on clear outer lagoon and seaward reefs.

Features

Dorsal fin VII + 17-19; Anal fin I,16-19; longitudinal scale series 101-126.
Body depth 4.5-5.1 in SL; body scales ctenoid becoming cycloid anteriorly below first dorsal fin; head or midline of nape naked; side of nape with scales extending forward to above or slightly before middle of opercle; pectoral fin base and prepelvic area fully scaled in adults; second to fourth dorsal-fin spines prolonged as filaments in fish larger than about 4.5 cm; caudal fin rounded, longer than head.

Feeding

Feeds on small benthic invertebrates and fishes by sifting mouthfuls of sand.

Biology

Forms monogamous pairs, and the eggs are laid in burrows and guarded by the male parent until the larvae hatch.

Etymology

The specific name is from the Latin strigatus (= striped) in reference to the to bluish bar or streak across the head.

Species Citation

Gobius strigatus Broussonet 1782, Ichthyologia Sistens Piscium Descriptiones et Icones: 11, pl. 1. Type locality: Tahiti.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2023

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Blueband Glidergoby, Valenciennea strigata (Broussonet 1782)

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

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

Bleeker, P. 1856. Bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van het eiland Boeroe. Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indië 11: 383-414 

Bleeker, P. 1857. Verslag omtrent eenige vischsoorten van Timor-Koepang en Dimor-Delhi. Natuurkundige tijdschrift voor Nederland-Indië 13: 387-390 

Bleeker, P. 1875. Notice sur les Eleotriformes et description de trois espèces nouvelles. Archives Néerlandaises des Sciences Naturelles 10: 101-112 

Bloch, M.E. & Schneider, J.G. 1801. Systema Ichthyologiae Iconibus ex Illustratum. Berlin 584 pp. 110 pls. 

Broussonet, P.M.A. 1782. Ichthyologia Sistens Piscium Descriptiones et Icones. London : Elmsly 42 pp. 11 pls. 

Choat, J.H., van Herwerden, L., Robbins, W.D., Hobbs, J.P. & Ayling, A.M. 2006. A report on the ecological surveys undertaken at Middleton and Elizabeth Reefs, February 2006. Report by James Cook University to the Department of the Environment and Heritage. 65 pp. 

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 

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 

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 

Hoese, D.F. & Larson, H.K. 1994. Revision of the Indo-Pacific gobiid fish genus Valenciennea, with descriptions of seven new species. Indo-Pacific Fishes 23: 1-71 11 figs, 6 pls

Hutchins, B. 2004. Fishes of the Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 66: 343–398 

Hutchins, J.B., Williams, D.McB., Newman, S.J., Cappo, M. & Speare, P. 1995. New records of fishes for the Rowley Shoals and Scott/Seringapatam Reefs, off north-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 17: 119-123 

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. 1992. Tropical Reef-Fishes of the Western Pacific, Indonesia and Adjacent Waters. Jakarta : PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama 314 pp. pls. 

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

Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp. 

Larson, H. 2019. Valenciennea strigata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T193085A2193044. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T193085A2193044.en. Accessed on 14 June 2023.

Moore, G. & Morrison, S. 2009. Fishes of three North West Shelf atolls off Western Australia: Mermaid (Rowley Shoals), Scott and Seringapatam Reefs. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 77: 221-255 Moore, G.I., Morrison, S.M., Hutchins, B.J., Allen, G.R. & Sampey, A. 2014. Kimberley marine biota. Historical data: fishes. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 84: 161-206 

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.

Nilsson, G.E., J.-P.A. Hobbs & S. Ostlund-Nilsson. 2007. Tribute to P. L. Lutz: respiratory ecophysiology of coral-reef teleosts. Journal of Experimental Biology 210: 1673-1686.

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.

Reavis, R.H. 1997. The natural history of a monogamous coral-reef fish, Valenciennea strigata (Gobiidae): 2. behaviour, mate fidelity and reproductive success. Environmental Biology of Fish 49: 247-257.

Reavis, R.H. & Barlow, G.W. 1998. Why is the coral-reef fish Valenciennea strigata (Gobiidae) monogamous? Behavioural Ecology and Socio-biology 43(4-5): 229-237.

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37428286

Behaviour:Constructs burrows

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Depth:1-25 m

Fishing:Aquarium fish

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:18 cm TL

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Species Maps

CAAB distribution map