A 2 cm rubble goby whose first dorsal fin, when raised, is nearly as tall as the fish is long.
One of the smallest gobies a diver is likely to be shown, mature at around 2 cm and rarely exceeding 2.5. The body is translucent white heavily marked with orange-red blotches and fine dark speckling, and the head carries a pattern of red bars around a large eye. Its distinguishing feature is the first dorsal fin: a fan of long spines, orange with dark spotting and a pale margin, which when raised stands almost as high as the fish is long. The fin is usually held flat and is raised only briefly, so the animal often looks unremarkable until it displays.
Lives among coral rubble, in the cavities of dead coral heads and under loose plates, usually solitary and almost always facing out from a hole rather than in the open. Recorded from about 3 to 30 m. It is often listed among the shrimpgobies, which it is not: it shares no burrow and has no association with snapping shrimps. Finding one is a matter of a guide knowing the exact piece of rubble, and photographing one is a matter of waiting for the fin — pressing closer produces a fish that has withdrawn rather than a fish that displays.
Ratings are per location: 1 means found on most dives that look for it, 5 means a handful of records. Where enough dives have been logged the figure is calculated from them; otherwise it is an editorial estimate, and says so. We publish habitat and destination, not the dive site.
