Christiane’s Pygmygoby

This species is distinguished by the following characters: concave bony interorbital is less than half pupil-diameter in width; with a slight or no groove posterodorsal to the eye; scales in the midline of the predorsal 8-10; anal-fin rays 7; the fifth pelvic ray is branched twice dichotomously and subequal to the fourth in length, with a full basal membrane; the epaxial musculature reaches anteromedially to a point in line with the posterior margin of the pupil in adults; scale pockets on the head and body are strongly outlined by brown chromatophores (Ref. 100726).

Dorsal spines (total): 7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8; Analspines: 1; Analsoft rays: 7

Species collected from jetty pilings, log debris, and concrete stairs at the water’s edge, at about 1-4 meters. It apparently have an affinity for sponge-encrusted surfaces, but the general area where it is observed is characterized by extensive silty mud substrata inhabited by a large number of burrowing gobies. It was not previously observed despite nearly 100 hours of scuba-diving because the collection site is immediately adjacent to shore at a busy shipyard where diving is usually banned during daylight hours. Most of the specimens were found on the inner side of a single pillar of the jetty, which was situated in total shade (Ref. 119492).