Robust Mangrovegoby, Acentrogobius janthinopterus (Bleeker 1852)

Other Names: Green-spotted Goby, Mangrove Goby, Robust Goby, Robust Mangrove Goby

A Robust Mangrovegoby, Acentrogobius janthinopterus, from Port Douglas, Queensland, April 2025. Source: Vince Golder / iNaturalist.org. License: CC BY Attribution-Noncommercial

Summary:

A pale greyish to light brown goby with a brown mottled back, a row of five brown blotches or clusters of smaller spots along the midside, scattered iridescent green flecks and a submarginal dark band on the caudal fin. Males have elongate, filamentous spines in the first dorsal fin.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2025, Acentrogobius janthinopterus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 09 Jul 2026, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/60

Robust Mangrovegoby, Acentrogobius janthinopterus (Bleeker 1852)

More Info

Distribution	Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia, to Coomera Island, southern Queensland. Elsewhere the species occurs in the East-Indo-west Pacific: Sumatra, Indonesia, east to the Philippines and New Guinea, north to southern Japan, south to northern Australia. Inhabits inshore brackish and freshwater areas, especially around mangroves; amphidromous.
Features	Dorsal fin VI-VII, 10; Anal fin I, 8; Longitudinal scale series 32. Body depth 3.5-3.8 in SL. First dorsal fin spines elongate and filamentous in male; caudal fin rounded, equal or slightly longer than head; predorsal scales behind eyes; opercle fully scaled; upper half of cheek scaled.
Colour	Pale greyish to light brown body with brown mottling on the back; midside with horizontal row of five brown blotches or clusters of smaller spots; caudal fin with scattered iridescent green flecks and submarginal dark band.
Etymology	The specific name is from the Greek ianthinos (= violet-colored) and pteron (= wing, fin), in reference to the violet-coloured fins of this species.
Species Citation	Gobius janthinopterus Bleeker 1852, Natuurk. Tijdschr. Nederl. Indië 3: 702.Type locality: Wahia, Ceram, Indonesia.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2025
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Robust Mangrovegoby, Acentrogobius janthinopterus (Bleeker 1852)

References

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Bleeker, P. 1852. Nieuwe bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van Ceram. Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indië 3: 689-714.

Donaldson, T.J. & Myers, R.F. 2002. Insular freshwater fish faunas of Micronesia: patterns of species richness and similarity. Environmental Biology of Fishes 65: 139-149.

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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. 2021. Acentrogobius janthinopterus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T193463A2238842. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T193463A2238842.en. Accessed on 02 December 2025.

Larson, H.K. & Lim, K.K.P. 2005. A guide to the gobies of Singapore. Singapore : Singapore Science Centre 164 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.

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.