Hoese's Sandgoby, Istigobius hoesei Murdy & McEachran, 1982

Scientific name: Istigobius hoesei
Alternative name/s:
Sloth Goby
Hoese's Sandgoby, Istigobius hoesei Click to enlarge image
A Hoese's Sandgoby, Istigobius hoesei, at a depth of 10 m, Fly Point, Port Stephens, New South Wales, July 2014. Image: Matt Dowse
© Matt Dowse

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Genus
    Istigobius
    Species
    hoesei
    Family
    Gobiidae
    Order
    Perciformes
    Class
    Actinopterygii
    Subphylum
    Vertebrata
    Phylum
    Chordata
    Kingdom
    Animalia
  • Size Range
    Hoese's Sandgoby grows to 10 cm in length.

Introduction

Hoese's Sandgoby is a small marine species that is only known from Australia. It was named in honour of Australian Museum ichthyologist Dr Doug Hoese.

Identification

Hoese's Sandgoby can be recognised by its raised eyes, elongate body, and pale sandy to pink colour with dots and dashes. It often has blackish lips. Like most gobies, it has pelvic fins fused into a cup-shaped disc.

Habitat

It lives in protected bays and estuaries in depths from 3 m to 20 m.

Distribution

The species is endemic to Australia, occurring from the central Queensland coast and the central New South Wales coast south to Sydney.

The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Click on the map for detailed information. Source: Atlas of Living Australia.

References

  1. Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-Eastern Australia. Crawford House Press. Pp. 437.
  2. Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.