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Gobiiformes (Gobies) >
Gobiidae (Gobies) > Gobiinae
Etymology: Elacatinus: Greek, elakatines = fusiform fishes preserved in salt (Ref. 45335); colini: Named for Patrick L. Colin, in recognition of his exceptional doctoral thesis on the comparative biology of western Atlantic gobies of the genus Elacatinus, and for his help in this research.
Eponymy: Patrick Lynn ‘Pat’ Colin (d: 1946) is a coral-reef biologist at the Coral Reef Research Foundation. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on authors: Randall & Lobel.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated, usually 3 - 16 m (Ref. 81169). Tropical; 17°N - 16°N, 88°W - 89°W
Caribbean Sea: Belize.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 3.2 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 81169); 3.4 cm SL (female)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10 - 12; Anal spines: 1; Anal soft rays: 10 - 11. Dorsal rays VII + I, 11 (10–12, rarely 10); anal rays I,10 (10–11, two of 15 with 11); pectoral
rays 17–19 (usually 18, one of 30 with 19); no scales; body and fins covered with thick adherent mucus; mouth subterminal; tongue truncate; no rostral frenum; color in alcohol pale yellowish gray with a midlateral black stripe from eye nearly to posterior end of caudal fin, about a pupil diameter in width on head, broadening to about an eye diameter in width on body; a blackish line extending posteriorly from above upper edge of eye, continuing below base of dorsal fins, and extending into dorsal part of caudal fin; fins otherwise translucent gray; color in life of body above black lateral stripe bluish to greenish gray with a bright white stripe as wide as pupil passing between black stripe and black line, becoming yellow on head as it nears upper edge of eye; dorsal part of iris brilliant yellow; snout and lips dusky yellow; a median brilliant yellow band on snout extending into anterior interorbital; ventral part of head and body whitish (Ref. 81169).
Collected with a hand net from a patch reef of mixed coral and sponge on sloping sand substratum at 5 m (Ref. 81169).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Randall, J.E. and P.S. Lobel, 2009. A literature review of the sponge-dwelling gobiid fishes of the genus Elacatinus from the western Atlantic, with description of two new Caribbean species. Zootaxa 2133:1-19. (Ref. 81169)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01023 (0.00477 - 0.02194), b=3.01 (2.83 - 3.19), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.4 ±0.3 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).