COMMENTS
v. 22.0 – 15 Feb. 2024 view/download PDF
Family GOBIIDAE Gobies (Istigobius through Pterocerdale)
Taxonomic note: includes taxa formerly included in the families Kraemeriidae, Microdesmidae and Schindleriidae.
Istigobius Whitley 1932 isti-, etymology not explained; proposed as a subgenus of Gobius, perhaps derived from the adjectival superlative –istos, referring to “larger scales, and longer caudal peduncle” of I. stephensoni (=ornatus) compared to “true Palearctic” Gobius
Istigobius campbelli (Jordan & Snyder 1901) in honor of botanist Douglas Houghton Campbell (1859-1953), Stanford University, for his interest in the flora of Japan and “in all things Japanese”
Istigobius decoratus (Herre 1927) “a very handsome little fish and well deserves the name decoratus, adorned”
Istigobius diadema (Steindachner 1876) a cloth headband, presumably referring to narrow dark-brown to blackish stripe extending from rear edge of eye to above pectoral-fin base
Istigobius goldmanni (Bleeker 1852) in honor of Carel Frederik Goldman (1800-1862), Government Commissioner for Timor (type locality), whose “goodwill” (translation) led to Bleeker’s receipt of a collection of fishes, including this one [Bleeker later emended spelling to “goldmani” but original spelling stands]
Istigobius hoesei Murdy & McEachran 1982 in honor of ichthyologist Douglass F. Hoese (b. 1942), Australian Museum (Sydney), for his contributions towards a better understanding of gobioid systematics
Istigobius hoshinonis (Tanaka 1917) –is, genitive singular of: Isaburo Hoshino (no other information available), who obtained type
Istigobius maleta Allen & Erdmann 2024 in honor of Maleta Duke, longtime staff member of the M.V. Chertan live-aboard dive vessel, which the authors utilized on numerous occasions for their surveys at Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea; “Maleta was instrumental in making each and every trip a success” [a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]
Istigobius murdyi Hoese & Erdmann 2018 in honor of ichthyologist Edward O. Murdy, George Washington University (Washington, D.C.,), who “pioneered” research on this genus
Istigobius nigroocellatus (Günther 1873) nigro-, black; ocellatus, having little eyes, referring to two rows of deep-black, brightly fringed ocelli along the sides
Istigobius ornatus (Rüppell 1830) decorated, a “beautiful” (translation) goby with alternating longitudinal rows of light-blue dots and royal-blue stripes on dorsal half of body, and a row of royal-blue spots along midline
Istigobius rigilius (Herre 1953) –ius, adjectival suffix: Rigili Island, Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Islands, type locality
Istigobius spence (Smith 1947) in honor of businessman Charles Francis Spence (1907-1982), for “personal” assistance in Mozambique, type locality (Spence later published a book, The Portuguese Colony of Moçambique: An Economic Survey [1951]) [presumably a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]
Kelloggella Jordan & Seale 1905 –ia, belonging to: entomologist Vernon Lyman Kellogg (1867-1937), Stanford University, who discovered K. cardinalis
Kelloggella avaiki Tornabene, Deis & Erdmann 2017 Avaiki, Polynesian word referring to sacred homeland of ancestors, and specifically on the island of Nuie (where this goby is endemic), referring to an area of tide pools and coastal caverns near type locality that are revered as the sacred bathing pools of kings
Kelloggella cardinalis Jordan & Seale 1906 red, referring to bright cherry-red color of dorsal, caudal and anal fins
Kelloggella disalvoi Randall 2009 in honor of the late Louis H. DiSalvo (1940-2008), marine biologist, for his contribution to our knowledge of the marine biota of Easter Island; he also collected three of the type specimens
Kelloggella oligolepis (Jenkins 1903) oligos, few; lepis, scale, referring to “apparently scaleless” body “with the exception of a few very minute scales on the posterior portion”
Kelloggella quindecimfasciata (Fowler 1946) quindecim, fifteen; fasciata, banded, referring to 11 dark-gray transverse bands on body and four dark-brown, transverse crossbands on head, three of which radiate down from lower edge of eye
Kelloggella tricuspidata (Herre 1935) referring to very broad and solid bands of strong tricuspid teeth on both jaws
Koumansetta Whitley 1940 –etta, diminutive connoting endearment: in honor of goby taxonomist Frederik Petrus Koumans (1905-1977), Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie (Leiden, Netherlands), who prepared a description of K. rainfordi when he visited the Australian Museum in 1938 but did not name it at the time; since Whitley was “unable, through the exigencies” of World War II to continue his correspondence with Koumans, he named the genus after him, “which will enshrine memories of happier days of our meetings in Leiden and Sydney”
Koumansetta hectori (Smith 1957) in honor of Gordon Hector (1918-2001), Chief Secretary to the Government of the Seychelles, for “great assistance” to Smith’s work at and about the archipelago
Koumansetta hoesei Kovačić, Bogorodsky, Mal & Alpermann 2018 in honor of ichthyologist Douglass F. Hoese (b. 1942), Australian Museum (Sydney), for “important” contributions to the systematics of gobioid fishes
Koumansetta rainfordi Whitley 1940 in honor of the late Edward Henry Rainford (1853-1938), amateur naturalist and viticulturist, Queensland Agricultural Department, who collected specimens for the Australian Museum, including this goby (in 1924)
Kraemeria Steindachner 1906 –ia, belonging to: German naturalist and ethnographer Augustin Friedrich Krämer (1865-1941), who studied the culture of Samoa, where he collected type of K. samoensis
Kraemeria bryani Schultz 1941 in honor of Schultz’ “good friend” Edward Horace Bryan, Jr. (1898-1985), curator of collections, Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu
Kraemeria cunicularia Rofen 1958 burrower; like its congeners, it lives at the water’s edge in the shallowest water possible, buried in the sand [author previously known as Harry]
Kraemeria galatheaensis Rofen 1958 –ensis, suffix denoting place, but in this case a ship: Galathea, of the Danish Deep-Sea Expedition Round the World (1950-1952), during which type was collected [author previously known as Harry]
Kraemeria merensis Whitley 1935 –ensis, suffix denoting place: presumably a latinization of Murray, referring to Murray Island, northern Queensland, Australia, type locality
Kraemeria nuda (Regan 1908) bare or naked, referring to scaleless body and head
Kraemeria samoensis Steindachner 1906 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Samoa, type locality (also occurs in Red Sea and in Indo-West Pacific, including Chagos Archipelago, Mariana Islands, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands, and Fiji) [named K. sandvicensis in an earlier published abstract; this should be the correct name but prevailing usage may apply]
Kraemeria tongaensis Rofen 1958 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Tonga Islands, where type locality, Namuka Island, is situated [author previously known as Harry]
Larsonella Randall & Senou 2001 –ella, diminutive connoting endearment: in honor of Helen Larson, Curator of Fishes, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (Darwin, Australia), for her contributions to the classification of Indo-Pacific gobies
Larsonella pumila (Larson & Hoese 1980) dwarf, referring to size (14.5 mm) of type specimen
Lesueurigobius Whitley 1950 named for French naturalist Charles Alexandre Lesueur (1778-1846), for whom L. suerii (type species) was named; gobius, goby [replacement name for Lesueuria Duncker 1928, preoccupied by Lesueuria Milne-Edwards 1841 in Coelenterata]
Lesueurigobius friesii (Malm 1874) in honor of Swedish zoologist Bengt Fredrik Fries (1799-1839), who reported this goby as Gobius gracilis (=Pomatoschistus minutus) in 1838
Lesueurigobius heterofasciatus Maul 1971 heteros, different; fasciatus, banded, referring to “curious difference” in intensity of pigmentation (dark-brown vs. outlined) and the differing intervals between them (closer together anteriorly, farther apart posteriorly)
Lesueurigobius koumansi (Norman 1935) in honor of goby taxonomist Frederik Petrus Koumans (1905-1977), Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie (Leiden, Netherlands), for his kindness in examining a specimen of this species, and for his opinion as to its probable systematic position
Lesueurigobius sanzi (de Buen 1918) in honor of de Buen’s professor, marine biologist Luigi Sanzo (1874-1940) [preferably spelled “sanzoi,” but de Buen consistently used “sanzi” so that spelling is not emended]
Lesueurigobius suerii (Risso 1810) in honor of French naturalist Charles Alexandre Lesueur (1778-1846); Risso changed spelling to “lesuerii” in 1827, but since he did not state he had named this goby after Lesueur, his original (but incorrect) spelling is retained
Lobulogobius Koumans 1944 lobulus, small lobe, presumably referring to united ventral fins, with a “round lobe” on each side of basal membrane; gobius, goby
Lobulogobius morrigu Larson 1983 Morrigu, old Irish (or Celtic) war goddess, referring to sharp, pointed teeth in several rows on both jaws
Lobulogobius omanensis Koumans 1944 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Gulf of Oman, type locality (but distributed in Indian and western Pacific oceans, from gulfs of Aden and Oman, east to Papua New Guinea, north to Viêt Nam, south to northern Australia)
Lophogobius Gill 1862 lophus, crest, referring to “longitudinal coronal crest” of L. cristagalli (=cyprinoides) [not to be confused with Lophiogobius in Oxudercidae]
Lophogobius cristulatus Ginsburg 1939 diminutive of cristatus, crested, referring to its “low” nuchal crest, “strikingly lower” than L. cyprinoides
Lophogobius cyprinoides (Pallas 1770) –oides, having the form of: cyprinus, carp, referring to its short and deep body, similar to a carp
Lotilia Klausewitz 1960 -ia, belonging to: etymology not explained but named in honor of Lotte Hass (1928-2015), wife of biologist, underwater cinematographer, and scuba-diving pioneer Hans Hass (1919-2013), who led expedition that collected type; Lotte could not join her husband in the expedition because she was pregnant or taking care of a newborn, so Hass asked Klausewitz (they were friends) to name this goby after her (Wolfgang Klausewitz, pers. comm. with Erwin Schraml)
Lotilia graciliosa Klausewitz 1960 slender or graceful, allusion not explained but referring to its pretty and graceful appearance (Wolfgang Klausewitz, pers. comm. with Erwin Schraml)
Lotilia klausewitzi Shibukawa, Suzuki & Senou 2012 in honor of ichthyologist Wolfgang Klausewitz (1922-2018), Senckenberg Museum (Frankfurt, Germany), who described many Indo-Pacific fishes, including the genus Lotilia
Lubricogobius Tanaka 1915 lubricum, slippery, presumably referring to absence of scales; gobius, goby
Lubricogobius dinah Randall & Senou 2001 in honor of dive instructor and underwater photographer Dinah Halstead, who discovered this goby and was the first to photograph it [a noun in apposition, without the matronymic “ae”]
Lubricogobius exiguus Tanaka 1915 small, short, poor or scanty, presumably referring to size, just 1.5 cm SL
Lubricogobius nanus Allen 2015 dwarf, referring to its small size (9.5-10.9 mm SL), the smallest in the genus
Lubricogobius ornatus Fourmanoir 1966 decorated, presumably referring to its coloration, orange with pale blue lines radiating from eye and one descending from nape, bifurcating onto preopercular margin and opercle
Lubricogobius tre Prokofiev 2009 named for Tre Island, Nha Trang Bay, Viêt Nam, type locality
Lubricogobius tunicatus Allen & Erdmann 2016 latinized adjectival from of tunicate, referring to its commensal host
Luposicya Smith 1959 lupus, wolf, referring to dentition of L. lupus; sikya, cupping glass, referring to its cup-shaped pelvic fins
Luposicya lupus Smith 1959 wolf, probably referring to its dentition: strong labial teeth in lower jaw, a pair of canines in front, and recurved teeth in upper jaw
Lythrypnus Jordan & Evermann 1896 lythrum, gore, referring to coral-red body of L. dalii; hypnos, sleep, presumed to be related or similar to the sleeper gobies of Eleotris and Dormitator (Eleotridae)
Lythrypnus alphigena Bussing 1990 alphus, white spot on skin; gena, cheek, referring to conspicuous cream-colored spots on cheeks (as well as lips, upper branchiostegal membranes, and anterior portion of isthmus)
Lythrypnus brasiliensis Greenfield 1988 –ensis, suffix denoting place: known only from the southwestern Atlantic of southern Brazil
Lythrypnus cobalus Bussing 1990 kobalos, Greek for knave, allusion not explained; since knave can mean “boy” or “man-child,” perhaps referring to well-developed ova found in specimens just 17.6-19.0 mm, which prompted Bussing to wonder if it is a “pygmy” species
Lythrypnus crocodilus (Beebe & Tee-Van 1928) crocodilian, presumably referring to four widely-spaced sharp and very large canine teeth
Lythrypnus dalli (Gilbert 1890) in honor of malacologist and explorer William Healey Dall (1845-1927), who dredged one of the type specimens off Catalina Harbor, California, USA
Lythrypnus elasson Böhlke & Robins 1960 Greek for smaller, being the smallest (12.9 mm SL) Atlantic species of the genus (at time of description)
Lythrypnus gilberti (Heller & Snodgrass 1903) in honor of ichthyologist Charles Henry Gilbert (1859-1928), Stanford University, who described two species later assigned to this genus in 1890
Lythrypnus heterochroma Ginsburg 1939 hetero-, different; chroma, color, referring to its “well marked diphasic color pattern, transversely banded anteriorly, longitudinally banded posteriorly”
Lythrypnus insularis Bussing 1990 of an island, known only from the Revillagigedo Islands of eastern México
Lythrypnus lavenbergi Bussing 1990 in honor of Robert J. Lavenberg, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Bussing’s “frequent companion in ichthyological endeavors, who has contributed greatly to our knowledge of eastern Pacific fishes” and who organized and participated in the expedition that collected this goby and several other undescribed species
Lythrypnus minimus Garzón & Acero P. 1988 smallest, referring to its size, up to 14.0 mm TL and 11.0 mm SL, smallest species in the genus and probably the smallest fish in the Atlantic
Lythrypnus mowbrayi (Bean 1906) in honor of naturalist and aquarium director Louis L. Mowbray (1877-1952), who collected type, for his “intelligent and effective work” in collecting Bermudian fishes
Lythrypnus nesiotes Böhlke & Robins 1960 islander, referring to its insular distribution, i.e., known from various localities in the Bahamas, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands
Lythrypnus okapia Robins & Böhlke 1964 Okapia, genus of the okapi, referring to its banded pigmentation
Lythrypnus phorellus Böhlke & Robins 1960 diminutive of phor, thief, referring to its barred color pattern [we fail to see the connection between thieves and a barred color pattern, unless this is an oblique reference to “prisoner” and prison stripes]
Lythrypnus pulchellus Ginsburg 1938 diminutive of pulcher, beautiful, presumably referring to size (up to 25 mm SL) and banded color pattern
Lythrypnus rhizophora (Heller & Snodgrass 1903) etymology not explained, perhaps Rhizaphore, the mangrove genus, referring to Tagus Cove (type locality), Galapágos Islands, which is surrounded by mangroves
Lythrypnus solanensis Acero P. 1981 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Bahía Solano (a town and an inlet), Departamento del Chocó, Colombia, type locality
Lythrypnus spilus Böhlke & Robins 1960 spot or stain, referring to conspicuous dark spot on pectoral-fin base
Lythrypnus zebra (Gilbert 1890) presumably referring to 15 zebra-like (but blue) crossbars encircling posterior half of body
Macrodontogobius Herre 1936 macro-, large and odontos, tooth, referring to two “enormous” solid incisors side by side on the vomer extending clear across roof of mouth; gobius, goby
Macrodontogobius wilburi Herre 1936 in honor of physician Ray Lyman Wilbur (1875-1949), third President of Stanford University (1916-1943) and U.S. Secretary of the Interior (1929-1933) appointed by his boyhood friend Herbert Hoover, whose support made it possible for Herre to visit the Palau Islands, type locality
Mahidolia Smith 1932 –ia, belonging to: the late Mahidol Adulyadej (1892-1929), Prince of Songkla, for his “substantial” interest in the fishes and fisheries of Siam (Thailand)
Mahidolia mystacina (Valenciennes 1837) mustachioed, referring to its jaws, which are produced backward nearly to angle of preopercle and united internally by a thick frenum that extends well forward
Mahidolia paucipora Allen & Erdmann 2019 paucus, few; pora, pored, referring to reduced pattern of cephalic sensory canal pores compared to M. mystacina
Mangarinus Herre 1943 –inus, belonging to: Mangarin, Mindoro, Philippines, type locality of M. waterousi
Mangarinus waterousi Herre 1943 in honor of Willard H. Waterous (1890-1964), “esteemed friend, army officer, and eminent physician,” who placed the resources of Hacienda Waterous (Mangarin, Mindoro, Philippines, type locality) at Herre’s disposal
Marcelogobius Schliewen 2023 Marcelo, in honor of Croatian biologist Marcelo Kovačić, the “leading active goby expert” for the Eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and Ponto-Caspian region; gobius, goby
Marcelogobius helenae (Van Tassell & Kramer 2014) in honor of Helen Gay Oulton, who organized local logistics for Earthwatch Expeditions for 10 years and an additional 10 years for the senior author in the Canary Islands, for her help and dedication, without which none of the authors’ research would have been possible, and for her love of the people, fauna and flora of the Canary Islands
Marcelogobius janetarum (Schliewen, Wirtz & Kovačić 2018) –arum, commemorative suffix, plural: in honor of philanthropist Janet Camp and Janet Van Sickle Eyre (b. 1955), Reef Environmental Education Foundation, who “generously” supported the authors’ goby research
Marcelogobius splechtnai (Ahnelt & Patzner 1995) in honor of marine biologist Heinz Splechtna, University of Vienna, for introducing generations of students to the diversity of marine life
Mauligobius Miller 1984 named for ichthyologist-taxidermist Günther Edmund Maul (1909-1997), Museu Municipal do Funchal (Portugal), his help in providing material and information used in Miller’s work on Macronesian gobies [name first appeared in Miller (1981) but without type designation]
Mauligobius maderensis (Valenciennes 1837) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Madeira, type locality (also occurs off Azores and Canary Islands)
Mauligobius nigri (Günther 1861) of the River Niger, type locality
Mesogobius Bleeker 1874 meso-, middle, allusion not explained; proposed as one of four subgenera of Gobius, so perhaps Bleeker believed it was intermediate in form (e.g., 35 scale rows compared to 20 and 40)
Mesogobius batrachocephalus (Pallas 1814) batrachus, frog; cephalus, head, referring to its large, depressed frog-like head
Mesogobius nigronotatus (Kessler 1877) nigro-, black; notatus, marked, referring to black spot at tip of first dorsal fin
Mesogobius nonultimus (Iljin 1936) non-, not; ultimus, last, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “last traverse rows” of pores on cheeks, of which the three next-to-last rows are separated by a longitudinal row of pores
Microdesmus Günther 1864 micro-, small; desmus, bond or ligament, referring to pectoral and ventral fins of M. dipus, which are united by a membrane
Microdesmus aethiopicus (Chabanaud 1927) –icus, belonging to: Aethiopia, presumably the Aethiopian Sea, classical name for the southern Atlantic Ocean, where this goby occurs in brackish and marine waters of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea
Microdesmus affinis Meek & Hildebrand 1928 related, referring to close relationship with M. intermedius, from which it differs in having a shorter and narrower head, a much more pointed snout, thinner lips, and a proportionately shorter caudal fin
Microdesmus africanus Dawson 1979 African, referring to type locality, Congo River, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Microdesmus bahianus Dawson 1973 –anus, belonging to: Bahia, Brazil, type locality
Microdesmus carri Gilbert 1966 in honor of Archie Carr (1909-1987), herpetologist, ecologist and conservationist, University of Florida, who generously provided financial assistance for Gilbert’s fieldwork, which lead to this goby’s discovery
Microdesmus dipus Günther 1864 di-, two; pous, foot, allusion not explained, presumably referring to how pectoral fins are united with ventral fins
Microdesmus dorsipunctatus Dawson 1968 dorsum, back; punctatus, spotted, referring to prominent dark markings at insertion of each dorsal-fin element in both juveniles and adults
Microdesmus hildebrandi Reid 1936 in honor of Samuel F. Hildebrand (1883-1949), U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, for his “valuable” work on the fishes of Panama
Microdesmus intermedius Meek & Hildebrand 1928 described as intermediate between M. dipus and M. multiradiatus in the number of dorsal- and anal-fin rays
Microdesmus knappi Dawson 1972 in honor of Smithsonian ichthyologist Leslie W. Knapp (1929-2017), who collected type, for his “diligence and expertise in the field” and the many “valuable specimens and personal courtesies” he provided
Microdesmus lanceolatus Dawson 1962 referring to its lanceolate caudal fin, compared to rounded caudal fin of its Gulf of Mexico congener, M. longipinnis
Microdesmus longipinnis (Weymouth 1910) longus, long; pinnis, fin, referring to its dorsal fins, separable only under a lens, which appears to be one long dorsal fin with 21 slender and flexible spines and 17 branched articulate rays
Microdesmus luscus Dawson 1977 half-blind or blinded, referring to its small and partly obscured eyes
Microdesmus multiradiatus Meek & Hildebrand 1928 multi-, many; radiatus, rayed, referring to more rays in dorsal and anal fins compared to congeners in Panama
Microdesmus retropinnis Jordan & Gilbert 1882 retro-, backward; pinnis, fin, referring to posterior insertion of dorsal fin compared to M. dipus
Microdesmus suttkusi Gilbert 1966 in honor of ichthyologist Royal D. Suttkus (1929-2009), Tulane University, who collected most of the type series
Microgobius Poey 1876 micro-, small, referring to size of M. signatus (described at 35-40 mm but reaches 60 mm TL); gobius, goby
Microgobius brevispinis Ginsburg 1939 brevis, short; spinus, spine, presumably referring to shorter pre-dorsal spine compared to M. emblematicus
Microgobius carri Fowler 1945 in honor of Archie Carr (1909-1987), American herpetologist, ecologist and conservationist, to whom Fowler was “indebted” for Florida fishes (but not this one)
Microgobius crocatus Birdsong 1968 saffron, referring to yellow markings on fins, body and lips
Microgobius curtus Ginsburg 1939 short, presumably referring to its size, described at 30 mm SL
Microgobius cyclolepis Gilbert 1890 cyclo-, circle; lepis, scale, presumably referring to its small cycloid scales (but larger than those of the similar M. emblematicus)
Microgobius emblematicus (Jordan & Gilbert 1882) ornamented (usually with a flag or banner), referring to high rays of first dorsal fin
Microgobius erectus Ginsburg 1938 upright, probably referring to its nearly vertical mouth
Microgobius gulosus (Girard 1858) greedy or gluttonous, referring to its “large and very deeply cleft” mouth
Microgobius meeki Evermann & Marsh 1899 in honor of ichthyologist Seth Eugene Meek (1859-1914), assistant curator of zoology, Field Columbian Museum (Chicago, USA)
Microgobius microlepis Longley & Hildebrand 1940 micro-, small; lepis, scale, referring to its “very small scales, which cannot be enumerated accurately”
Microgobius miraflorensis Gilbert & Starks 1904 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Miraflores, Colombia, type locality (occurs in Pacific from Gulf of California to Peru)
Microgobius signatus Poey 1876 marked, presumably referring to short vertical stripe of burnished blue below first dorsal fin of males
Microgobius tabogensis Meek & Hildebrand 1928 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Taboga Island, Panama, type locality
Microgobius thalassinus (Jordan & Gilbert 1883) sea-green, referring to translucent body “overlaid by brilliant green luster, which is formed by exceedingly minute close-set green points”
Microgobius urraca Tornabene, Van Tassell & Robertson 2012 named for the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s research vessel Urraca, which contributed a wealth of information on fish diversity in the tropical Americas from 1994-2007, and from which type was collected in 2003
Millerigobius Bath 1973 in honor of Peter J. Miller, University of Bristol, whose works have fundamentally influenced the basics of goby taxonomy; gobius, goby
Millerigobius macrocephalus (Kolombatović 1891) macro-, large; cephalus, head, referring to its large, thick head, four times in length of fish [objectively invalid, preoccupied by Gobius (now Benthophilus) macrocephalus Pallas 1788]
Minysicya Larson 2002 minys, small, referring to small adult size (up to 15 mm SL); sikya, cupping glass, referring to distinctive, cup-shaped pelvic fins of its closest relatives, and echoing the names of two of these, Luposicya and Pleurosicya
Minysicya caudimaculata Larson 2002 caudi-, tail; maculata, spotted, referring to three dark-brown spots around caudal-fin base
Mizogobius Geetakumari & Vishwanath 2012 mizo-, Mizoram State, India, type locality of type species; gobius, goby
Mizogobius koladynae Geetakumari & Vishwanath 2012 of the Koladyne River, Mizoram State, India, type locality
Myersina Herre 1934 –ina, belonging to: ichthyologist George S. Myers (1905-1985), U.S. National Museum, “my brilliant young friend and former colleague” [Paragobius Bleeker 1873 (or 1872) is a senior synonym but prevailing usage may apply]
Myersina adonis Shibukawa & Satapoomin 2006 from Greek mythology, a beautiful youth beloved by Venus, referring to brilliant coloration of the male
Myersina balteata Greenfield & Randall 2018 with a shoulder-band or baldric, referring to dark band around center of body
Myersina crocata (Wongratana 1975) saffron, referring to yellow or orange markings on head, body and fins
Myersina filifer (Valenciennes 1837) filum, thread; fero, to bear, referring to long and filamentous (except for last) rays of first dorsal fin
Myersina lachneri Hoese & Lubbock 1982 in honor of Ernest A. Lachner (1916-1996), curator of fishes at the U.S. National Museum, for his contributions to the systematics of gobioid fishes
Myersina macrostoma Herre 1934 macro-, large; stoma, mouth, described as “very large,” with a prominent maxillary that extends back toward lower part of preopercle
Myersina nigrivirgata Akihito & Meguro 1983 nigra-, black; virgata, striped, referring to its characteristic black lateral band
Myersina papuanus (Peters 1877) –anus, belonging to: Papua New Guinea, where it is endemic
Myersina pretoriusi (Smith 1958) in honor of P. J. G. Pretorius (Bizana, Eastern Cape, South Africa), who found and preserved type specimen
Myersina yangii (Chen 1960) in honor of Hong-Jia Yang, Fisheries Research Institute (Taiwan), who collected type
Navigobius Hoese & Motomura 2009 navis, ship, here meaning to float or swim, referring to epibenthic swimming habits of N. dewa; gobius, goby
Navigobius asayake Okamoto & Motomura 2018 Japanese noun meaning “sunrise colors,” referring to its reddish coloration
Navigobius dewa Hoese & Motomura 2009 in honor of Shin-ichi Dewa (Kagoshima, Japan), who collected type
Navigobius kaguya Gill, Tea & Senou 2017 named after the Moon Princess Kaguya from the Japanese folk tale Taketori Monogatari (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter), alluding to small spots on first dorsal fin, which resemble the graphics used in moon phase charts, and acknowledges that the species occurs in Japanese waters; name was selected by school students at education workshops associated with University of Sydney performances of 2071: A Performance about Climate Change
Navigobius khanhoa Prokofiev 2016 named for Khanh Hoa Province, Viêt Nam, where type locality (Nha Trang Bay) is situated [may be a juvenile species of Oxymetopon]
Navigobius vittatus Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2015 striped, referring to blue stripes on both dorsal fins
Nemateleotris Fowler 1938 nemato-, thread, referring to elongated, filamentous first dorsal-fin spine of N. magnifica; Eleotris, then placed in the family Eleotridae
Nemateleotris decora Randall & Allen 1973 elegant and beautiful, referring to its coloration
Nemateleotris helfrichi Randall & Allen 1973 in honor of Philip Helfrich (b. 1927), Associate Director, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (University of Hawaii), and Director, Eniwetok Marine Biological Laboratory, who was among the first to collect this species
Nemateleotris lavandula Tea & Larson 2023 named for Lavandula, a genus of flowering plants which includes the ornamental herb lavender, referring to this fish’s beautiful coloration in life
Nemateleotris magnifica Fowler 1938 splendid, referring to a “color pattern of greatly pleasing and contrasted design”
Nematogobius Boulenger 1910 nemato-, thread, referring to short nasal barbel of N. ansorgii (=maindroni); gobius, goby
Nematogobius brachynemus Pfaff 1933 brachy, short; nema, thread, referring to its very short mental barbels, shorter than N. ansorgii (=maindroni)
Nematogobius maindroni (Sauvage 1880) in honor of French entomologist Maurice Maindron (1857-1911), who collected type in Senegal
Neogobius Iljin 1927 a museum name coined by Berg, neo-, new, proposed as a new subgenus of Gobius (original genus of N. fluviatilis)
Subgenus Neogobius
Neogobius fluviatilis (Pallas 1814) of a river, referring to its occurrence in the freshwater mouths of rivers entering the Black Sea
Neogobius pallasi (Berg 1916) in honor of naturalist and explorer Peter Simon Pallas (1741-1811); proposed as a subspecies of N. fluviatilis, whose description of the species appeared posthumously in 1814
Subgenus Apollonia Iljin 1927 etymology not explained, perhaps referring to Apollonia, ancient name for city, now Sozopol, on southern Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, well within native range of N. melanostomus
Neogobius bathybius (Kessler 1877) bathys, deep; bios, life, referring to its occurrence in the Caspian Sea, at a depth down to 230.5 m [subgeneric placement provisional]
Neogobius melanostomus (Pallas 1814) melanos, black; stoma, mouth, described as having fleshy black lips, “labrus carnosis nigris” (a character not usually associated with this species)
Subgenus Eichwaldiella Whitley 1930 –iella, diminutive connoting endearment: in honor of geologist-zoologist Charles Edward von Eichwald (also known as Karl Eduard von Eichwald, 1795-1876), who described type species, N. caspius, in 1831 [replacement name for Eichwaldia Smitt 1899, preoccupied by Eichwaldia Billings 1858 in fossil brachiopods]
Neogobius caspius (Eichwald 1831) Caspian, referring to the Caspian Sea, where it is endemic
Nes Ginsburg 1933 etymology not explained, perhaps derived from nesos, island, referring to occurrence of N. longus at or near islands (Key West, Bermuda, Aruba)
Nes longus (Nichols 1914) long, referring to its long and compressed body
Obliquogobius Koumans 1941 oblique, referring to obliquely pointed caudal fin of O. cometes; gobius, goby
Obliquogobius bathyalis Fricke 2022 named for its occurrence in the upper bathyal depths (below 200 m) off New Caledonia, southwestern Pacific Ocean
Obliquogobius cirrifer Shibukawa & Aonuma 2007 cirrus, curl or tendril; fero, to bear, referring to greatly prolonged, filamentous first spine of first dorsal fin of males
Obliquogobius cometes (Alcock 1890) comet, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its “long and pointed” tail
Obliquogobius eptactis Fujiwara, Psomadakis, Swe & Motomura 2021 combination of the Greek epta and aktis, meaning “seven light rays,” referring to seven yellow bars on body
Obliquogobius fulvostriatus Chen, Jaafar & Shao 2012 fulvus, brownish yellow (but often used to mean yellow in general); striatus, striped, referring to longitudinal yellow band on trunk, a conspicuous character in fresh specimens [twice misspelled “fluvostriatus” in original description]
Obliquogobius megalops Shibukawa & Aonuma 2007 mega-, large; ops, eye, referring to larger eyes compared to O. cirrifer and O. yamadai
Obliquogobius trifasciatus Fujiwara & Shibukawa 2022 tri-, three; fasciatus, banded, referring to three broad bands on body, its “most obvious diagnostic character”
Obliquogobius turkayi Goren 1992 in honor of carcinologist Michael Türkay (1948-2015), Senckenberg Museum (Frankfurt, Germany), for his contributions to the knowledge of the marine fauna of the Red Sea and Mediterranean
Obliquogobius yamadai Shibukawa & Aonuma 2007 in honor of Umeyoshi Yamada, formerly of the Fisheries Agency of Seikai National Fisheries Research Institute, for his “great” contribution to our knowledge of fishes in the East China Sea
Odondebuenia de Buen 1930 –ia, belonging to: de Buen’s father, Odón de Buen (1863-1945), naturalist, politician and founder of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography
Odondebuenia balearica (Pellegrin & Fage 1907) –ica, belonging to: Balearic Islands, Spain, type locality
Ophiogobius Gill 1863 ophis, snake, referring to snake-like appearance of head; gobius, goby
Ophiogobius jenynsi Hoese 1976 in honor of clergyman-naturalist Leonard Jenyns (1800-1893), who described this goby in 1842 but used a preoccupied name
Oplopomops Smith 1959 –ops, appearance, referring to its similarity to Oplopomus
Oplopomops diacanthus (Schultz 1943) di-, two; acanthus, spine, referring to two strong spines, one at front of each dorsal fin
Oplopomus Valenciennes 1837 presumably tautonymous with Gobius oplopomus; [h]oplo-, armed; poma, lid or cover, referring to 1-3 small spines on preopercular margin
Oplopomus caninoides (Bleeker 1852) –oides, having the form of: referring to its presumed close relationship with Gobius (=Acentrogobius) caninus, both of which have two small canine teeth in lower jaw
Oplopomus oplopomus (Valenciennes 1837) [h]oplo-, armed; poma, lid or cover, referring to 1-3 small spines on preopercular margin
Opua Jordan 1925 latinization of o’opu, Hawaiian name for gobies [author is not David Starr Jordan but his son, Eric Knight]
Opua nephodes Jordan 1925 cloudy, referring to yellowish-white ground color, “much mottled, streaked, and clouded with olive brown” [author is not David Starr Jordan but his son, Eric Knight]
Oxymetopon Bleeker 1860 oxy, sharp or pointed; metopon, forehead, presumably referring to scaly, fleshy keel on brow [date sometimes given as 1861]
Oxymetopon amblyopinus (Kner 1868) –inus, adjectival suffix, i.e., Amblyopus (=Taenioides, Oxudercidae)-like; “This genus,” Kner wrote, “does not fit into any group of gobiids, but it seems to me the closest to the amblyopines” (translation) [a doubtful species, similar to Oxymetopon based on illustration but possibly a cepolid (Perciformes), with no surviving specimens]
Oxymetopon compressus Chan 1966 referring to its “very compressed, ribbon-like shape,” a representative feature of the genus
Oxymetopon curticauda Prokofiev 2016 curtus, short; cauda, tail, referring to substantially truncated caudal region, distinguishing it from congeners
Oxymetopon cyanoctenosum Klausewitz & Condé 1981 cyano-, blue; ctenosum, comb-like, presumably referring to grayish-blue to iridescent transverse bands on sides, which can be said to resemble the teeth of a comb
Oxymetopon filamentosum Fourmanoir 1967 referring to filamentous first four rays of first dorsal fin
Oxymetopon typus Bleeker 1860 serving as type of genus [date sometimes given as 1861]
Padogobius Iljin 1933 etymology not explained but clearly referring to Padus, ancient name of the River Po in Italy, where Iljin mentions that P. panizzai (=Knipowitschia panizzae) occurs; gobius, goby [replacement name for Fluvicola Iljin 1930, preoccupied by Fluvicola Swainson 1827 in birds]
Padogobius bonelli (Bonaparte 1846) in honor of Italian zoologist Franco Andrea Bonelli (1784-1930), who named this goby Gobius fluviatilis in a manuscript used by Cuvier & Valenciennes in 1837, preoccupied by G. fluviatilis Pallas 1814 [presumably a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]
Padogobius nigricans (Canestrini 1867) blackish, proposed as a subspecies of Gobius fluviatilis in which the males have a black head, dorsal, anal and caudal fins, and brown pectoral and ventral fins [placed in Neogobius by some workers]
Paedovaricus Van Tassell, Tornabene & Gilmore 2016 paideios, children, referring to small size, up to 13.5 mm SL; Varicus, referring to previous placement in and general similarity to that genus
Paedovaricus imswe (Greenfield 1981) acronym of Investigations of Marine Shallow Water Ecosystems, title of project conducted by the Smithsonian Institution at Carrie-Bow Cay, Belize, type locality
Palatogobius Gilbert 1971 palato-, palate, referring to teeth that may be present on roof of mouth of P. paradoxus; gobius, goby
Palatogobius grandoculus Greenfield 2002 grandis, large; oculus, eye, referring to its very large eyes
Palatogobius incendius Tornabene & Baldwin 2017 fiery, refer to bright orange, yellow and reddish-pink coloration on body, head and fins
Palatogobius paradoxus Gilbert 1971 strange or contrary to expectation, referring to “paradoxical situation” of vomerine teeth absent in one of the three specimens Gilbert examined
Palutrus Smith 1959 etymology not explained; name does not appear in any of our Latin and Greek dictionaries
Palutrus meteori (Klausewitz & Zander 1967) in honor of the German research vessel Meteor, from which type was collected
Palutrus pruinosus (Jordan & Seale 1906 , referring to a faint dusting of whitish on body, “as though frosted”
Palutrus pusillus Tortonese 1976 very small, 13.2-20.0 mm SL
Palutrus reticularis Smith 1959 netted or net-like, referring to reticulate pattern on body formed by darker margins of scales
Palutrus scapulopunctatus (de Beaufort 1912) scapula, shoulder; punctatus, spotted, referring to 3-4 small black spots above origin of pectoral fin
Parachaeturichthys Bleeker 1874 para-, near, superficially similar to Chaeturichthys (Oxudercidae), original genus of P. polynema
Parachaeturichthys polynema (Bleeker 1853) poly, many; nema, thread, referring to chin with many small barbels on each side along ramus of lower jaw
Paragobiodon Bleeker 1872 para-, near, presumably referring to similarity and/or close relationship with Gobiodon
Paragobiodon echinocephalus (Rüppell 1830) echinos, spiny; cephalus, head, referring to bristle-like papillae on head and nape
Paragobiodon kasaii Suzuki & Randall 2011 in honor of Masao Kasai (b. 1964), Mr. Sakana Diving Service (Iriomote Island, Japan), who discovered this goby and photographed it underwater
Paragobiodon lacunicola (Kendall & Goldsborough 1911) lacuna, pool; –cola, inhabitant of, presumably referring to its type locality habitat, a lagoon at Fakarava, Tuamotu Islands, French Polynesia
Paragobiodon melanosoma (Bleeker 1853) melano-, black; soma, body, referring to dark black color of body (and fins)
Paragobiodon modestus (Regan 1908) modest or unassuming, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to blackish-gray color
Paragobiodon xanthosoma (Bleeker 1853) xanthos, yellow; soma, body, referring to “beautiful” (translation) yellow color of body (and fins)
Paragunnellichthys Dawson 1967 para-, near, described as intermediate between Gunnellichthys and the Microdesmus–Clarkichthys species complex
Paragunnellichthys fehlmanni Dawson 1969 in honor of ichthyologist-herpetologist Herman Adair Fehlmann (1917-2005), who collected type
Paragunnellichthys seychellensis Dawson 1967 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Seychelles, type locality
Paragunnellichthys springeri Dawson 1970 in honor of Victor G. Springer (1928-2022), U.S. National Museum, who collected type, for his many contributions to “modern” ichthyology
Paratrimma Hoese & Brothers 1976 para-, near, i.e., closely related to Trimma
Paratrimma nigrimenta Hoese & Brothers 1976 nigri-, black; menta, chin, referring to its black chin (compared to dusky chin of P. urospila)
Paratrimma urospila Hoese & Brothers 1976 oura, tail; spilos, spot, referring to large spot at base of caudal fin covering ~2/3 of caudal base
Pariah Böhlke 1969 from the Tamil word pariayan, outcast, referring to “unique development” of an added (eighth) spine in the anterior dorsal fin, compared to its presumed closest allies, which have seven spines
Pariah scotius Böhlke 1969 Greek for “in the dark,” referring to its habit of living in sponges
Parioglossus Regan 1912 para-, near, referring to similarity with Ioglossus (=Ptereleotris)
Parioglossus aporos Rennis & Hoese 1985 a-, without; poros, pore, referring to lack of head pores
Parioglossus caeruleolineatus Suzuki, Yonezawa & Sakaue 2010 caeruleus, blue; lineatus, lined, referring to distinctive bright-blue stripe running from nape to dorsum of caudal peduncle in males when fresh or alive
Parioglossus dotui Tomiyama 1958 in honor of Yosie Dôtu (also spelled Yoshie Dotsu, see Dotsugobius), Fisheries Laboratory, Kyushu University (Japan), who collected type and studied this goby’s life history
Parioglossus formosus (Smith 1931) beautiful, presumably referring to its coloration: pale-olive body with yellow stripe along the upper part of head and body, a broad black stripe from snout to lower part of caudal fin, and a narrow blackish stripe from between eyes running along dorsal-fin base and onto upper part of caudal fin
Parioglossus galzini Williams & Lecchini 2004 in honor of René Galzin (b. 1950), director, Laboratory of Ichtyoécologie Tropicale et Mediterrannéenne of Perpignan (France) and Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l’Environment (Moorea, French Polynesia), who assisted the senior author in the collection of all specimens known at the time
Parioglossus interruptus Suzuki & Senou 1994 interrupted, referring to interruption of lateral band, which does not extend to caudal-fin base
Parioglossus lineatus Rennis & Hoese 1985 lined, referring to two distinctive stripes and vertical band on body
Parioglossus marginalis Rennis & Hoese 1985 edged or bordered, referring to margin of anal fin in males, and dark margin around anus of females
Parioglossus multiradiatus Keith, Bosc & Valade 2004 multi-, many; radiatus, rayed, referring to higher second dorsal-, anal-, and pectoral-fin ray counts compared to several congeners
Parioglossus neocaledonicus Dingerkus & Séret 1992 –icus, belonging to: New Caledonia, where it is endemic
Parioglossus nudus Rennis & Hoese 1985 bare or naked, referring to scaleless body
Parioglossus palustris (Herre 1945) of swamps, “taken from a pool in a nipa [mangrove palm] swamp, near the Fisheries Station, Zamboanga, Philippine Islands”
Parioglossus philippinus (Herre 1945) Filipino, referring to type locality in Zamboanga Province, Mindanao, Philippines (but widely occurs in Indo-West Pacific from Madagascar and India to New Caledonia, and Australia to Japan)
Parioglossus rainfordi McCulloch 1921 in honor of Edward Henry Rainford (1853-1938), amateur naturalist and viticulturist, Queensland Agricultural Department, who collected specimens for the Australian Museum, including this goby
Parioglossus raoi (Herre 1939) in honor of Indian zoologist H. Srinivasa Rao (1894-1971), who collected type
Parioglossus senoui Suzuki, Yonezawa & Sakaue 2010 in honor of Hhiroshi Senou, Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History, for his “great” contribution to the knowledge of systematics and distribution of the fishes of Japan
Parioglossus sinensis Zhong 1994 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Sinica (China), where it is endemic
Parioglossus taeniatus Regan 1912 banded, referring to dark band from eye to end of caudal fin
Parioglossus triquetrus Rennis & Hoese 1985 tri-, three; –quetrus, angled, referring to triangular (occasionally rectangular) spot on caudal-fin rays
Parioglossus verticalis Rennis & Hoese 1985 upright, referring to vertical bands on body
Parioglossus winterbottomi Suzuki, Yonezawa & Sakaue 2010 in honor of Richard Winterbottom (b. 1944), Royal Ontario Museum, for his “great” contribution to the knowledge of the systematics of the Gobioidei
Parkraemeria Whitley -, near, i.e., similar to Kraemeria, but differs “in having the chin normal in form, not produced like a scoop, in having many more pectoral rays, and in its ornate coloration”
Parkraemeria ornata Whitley 1951 referring to its “ornate” coloration: pale brownish-yellow with conspicuous dark reddish-brown spots
Parkraemeria rhinoceros Suzuki & Senou 2013 rhino, nose; keras, horn, referring to small, anteriorly directed skin projection on tip of upper lip
Parkraemeria saltator Suzuki & Senou 2013 Latin for dancer, referring to mating behavior of males (they vertically swim above burrows and display to females)
Parrella Ginsburg 1938 –ella, diminutive connoting endearment: in honor of marine biologist Albert Eide Parr (1900-1991), Yale University
Parrella fusca Ginsburg 1939 dark or dusky, referring to nearly uniform dark-brown coloration
Parrella ginsburgi Wade 1946 in honor of the authors’ colleague Isaac Ginsburg (1886-1975), goby taxonomist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for his “work with this difficult family”
Parrella lucretiae (Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1888) in honor of Lucretia M. Smith (1817-1911), mother of Rosa Smith Eigenmann
Parrella macropteryx Ginsburg 1939 macro-, long; pteryx, fin, referring to its “unusually” long pectoral fin
Parrella maxillaris Ginsburg 1938 of the jaw, referring to its long maxillary (at least in males)
Pascua Randall 2005 Spanish word for Easter, basis of Isla de Pascua, Spanish name of Easter Island, where P. caudilinea is endemic
Pascua caudilinea Randall 2005 cauda-, tail; linea, line, referring to dark line that nearly crosses base of caudal fin, its most consistent and conspicuous color marking
Pascua readerae (Hoese & Larson 2005) in honor of Sally Reader, Australian Museum, who helped collect the type series
Pascua sticta (Hoese & Larson 2005) spot, referring to spotted head, body and fins
Pennatuleviota Prokofiev 2007 pennatula, diminutive of pennata, bearing feathers, referring to feather-like appearance of pelvic fins; Eviota, its presumed closest relative
Pennatuleviota gurjanowae Prokofiev 2007 in honor of the “eminent” carcinologist Evpraskia Fedorovna Gurjanova (1902-1981), who collected type in 1959
Peter Schliewen 2023 named for two “outstanding goby enthusiasts” both named Peter: Peter J. Miller, University of Bristol, who has “contributed particularly to the knowledge of European and African gobies more than any other goby scientist,” and Peter Wirtz (b. 1948), the “tirelessly diving German naturalist and biologist, who discovered dozens of new animal species in the marine waters of the eastern tropical Atlantic,” including the two shrimp-associated gobies included in this genus
Peter amicuscaridis (Schliewen & Kovačić 2008) amicus; friend; caridis, shrimp, referring to its obligatory association with shrimp burrows
Peter wirtzi (Schliewen & Kovačić 2008) in honor of marine biologist Peter Wirtz (b. 1948), Universidade da Madeira (Portugal), who collected all specimens of both this goby and D. amicuscaridis, as well as numerous additional gobies from the tropical and temperate eastern Atlantic Ocean now housed at the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology (Munich)( and Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde (Stuttgart)
Phoxacromion Shibukawa, Suzuki & Senou 2010 phoxos, pointed; akromion, point of shoulder blade, referring to “anterolaterally-directed triangular mid-lateral rounded or near pointed anterior tip” on expanded lateral wing of cleithrum, unique in gobies
Phoxacromion kaneharai Shibukawa, Suzuki & Senou 2010 in honor of Hiroyuki Kanehara (Diving Service Amamiensis, Amami-oshima Island, Ryukyu Islands, Japan), who provided ecological and habitat information about, and underwater photographs of, this goby
Phyllogobius Larson 1986 phyllon, leaf, referring to its extremely depressed head and body, and echoing the name of its host sponge, Phyllospongia; gobius, goby
Phyllogobius platycephalops (Smith 1964) ops, appearance, i.e., “in general shape and appearance closely resembling” a juvenile Platycephalus (Scorpaeniformes: Platycephalidae), commonly called “flatheads”
Pinnichthys Van Tassell, Tornabene & Gilmore 2016 pinna, fin, referring to high number of fin rays in second dorsal and anal fins of all species; ichthys, fish
Pinnichthys aimoriensis Van Tassell & Tornabene 2016 –ensis, a suffix that usually denotes place but here honors the Aimorés, an indigenous warrior people from the lands now belonging to the Brazilian states Espírito Santo, Bahia, and Minas Gerais, who were virtually extirpated by European settlers (1555-1673), with much of their native forest replaced by agriculture; type locality is adjacent to a Peroá natural gas platform with much of the nearby coastal region facing rapid development and biodiversity loss from the petroleum industry and mining of rhodolith beds (carbonates) for agriculture, a situation analogous to the loss of Aimorés culture and forest biodiversity that inhabited their native lands of the Central Brazilian coast
Pinnichthys bilix (Hastings & Findley 2013) double threaded, referring to two elongated, thread-like dorsal-fin spines
Pinnichthys prolata (Hastings & Findley 2015) elongate, referring to relatively elongate innermost or fifth pelvic-fin ray compared to that of other known species then placed in the genus Chriolepis
Pinnichthys saurimimica Van Tassell & Tornabene 2016 Saurus, a genus of lizardfish (now a junior synonym of Synodus, Synodontidae); mimica, mimic, referring to its color pattern, which closely resembles that of a lizardfish
Platygobiopsis Springer & Randall 1992 platys, flat, referring to its distinctively flat head and body; Gobiopsis, genus to which it appears to be closely related
Platygobiopsis akihito Springer & Randall 1992 in honor of Emperor Akihito of Japan (b. 1933), for his contribution to the classification of gobioid fishes [a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]
Platygobiopsis dispar Prokofiev 2008 dissimilar or unpaired, referring to individual variations in presence or absence of cephalic sensory pores and to numerous differences between it and P. akihito
Platygobiopsis hadiatyae Larson, Jafaar, Tan & Peristiwady 2020 in honor of “our dear colleague” Renny Kurnia Hadiaty (1960-2019), Indonesian Institute of Sciences, “who died too soon”; she co-authored 19 gobioid species names in addition to many other taxa
Platygobiopsis tansei Okiyama 2008 named for the research vessel Tansei-maru of the Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo (now Japan Marine Science and Technology Center), responsible for collecting many Suruga Bay specimens, including type of this goby
Pleurosicya Weber 1913 etymology not explained, probably pleuro-, rib; sikya, cupping glass, referring to pleural placement of fused, cup-like pelvic fins, i.e., “rib cup” (Helen Larson, pers. comm.)
Pleurosicya annandalei Hornell & Fowler 1922 in honor of zoologist-anthropologist Thomas Nelson Annandale (1876-1924), Director, Indian Museum (Calcutta), “in slight recognition for his work on Indian fishes”
Pleurosicya australis Larson 1990 –ia, belonging to: Austral (also known as Tubuai) Islands, French Polynesia, type locality
Pleurosicya bilobata (Koumans 1941) bi-, two; lobata, lobed, referring to its bilobate tongue
Pleurosicya boldinghi Weber 1913 in honor of Lieut. Helenus Johannes Boldingh (1868-1954), one of three officers aboard the Siboga expedition (1899-1900) to the East Indies, led by Weber, that collected the type
Pleurosicya carolinensis Larson 1990 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Caroline Islands, Micronesia and Palau, where it appears to be endemic
Pleurosicya coerulea Larson 1990 blue, referring to the name of its invertebrate host, Blue Coral, Heliopora coerulea
Pleurosicya elongata Larson 1990 elongate, referring to its long body length (at 29 mm SL, the longest species in the genus)
Pleurosicya fringilla Larson 1990 Fringilla, genus of finches called chaffinches, referring to its “tiny bird-like appearance”
Pleurosicya labiata (Weber 1913) large-lipped, referring to its thick and wide lips, especially the upper lip, which lands with its front part over the lower
Pleurosicya larsonae Greenfield & Randall 2004 in honor of Helen Larson, Curator of Fishes, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (Darwin, Australia), whose 1990 revision of Pleurosicya “laid the foundation for all future work on the genus”
Pleurosicya micheli Fourmanoir 1971 patronym not identified, possibly in honor of Fourmanoir’s colleague and occasional collaborator, marine biologist Michel Legand, French Institute of Oceania, Nouméa, New Caledonia
Pleurosicya mossambica Smith 1959 –ica, belonging to: Mozambique, type locality (but widely occurring in the Red Sea and Indo-West Pacific)
Pleurosicya muscarum (Jordan & Seale 1906) of flies, presumably referring to “rather large black points” on body (i.e., as if spotted with flies)
Pleurosicya occidentalis Larson 1990 western, referring to its distribution in the western Indian Ocean
Pleurosicya plicata Larson 1990 folded, referring to its thin pelvic-fin lobes, which are folded inward
Pleurosicya prognatha Goren 1984 pro-, forward; gnathus, jaw, referring to its long, pointed snout, shaped like a falcon beak
Pleurosicya spongicola Larson 1990 spongi-, sponge; –cola, dweller or inhabitant, i.e., a commensal goby on sponges
Ponticola Iljin 1927 Pontos, historical Greek name for southern Black Sea; –cola, dweller or inhabitant, presumably referring to Black Sea distribution of P. ratan and perhaps other congeners
Ponticola alasanicus Epitashvili, Japoshvili & Mumladze 2023 –icus, belonging to: Alazani (“z” Latinized as “s”) River drainage, South Caucasus Region, Georgia, type locality
Ponticola cephalargoides (Pinchuk 1976) –oides, having the form of: referring to its resemblance to and previous confusion with Neogobius cephalarges (=N. melanostomus)
Ponticola constructor (Nordmann 1840) a builder, referring to Nordmann’s observation that this goby constructs a nest inside a hole lined with twigs and leaves
Ponticola cyrius (Kessler 1874) –ius, pertaining to: Cyrus, Latin name of Ancient Greek Kûros, referring to Kura River near Borzhomi, Eurasian Georgia, type locality
Ponticola eurycephalus (Kessler 1874) eury, broad or wide; cephalus, head, referring to its wide head, markedly thicker than deep
Ponticola goebelii (Kessler 1874) in honor of Goebel (forename not given), a “conservator” (i.e., taxidermist) who delivered the syntypes to the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg from Baku, Azerbaijan, possibly German geologist Friedemann Adolph Goebel (1826-1895), a member of the Academy
Ponticola gorlap (Iljin 1949) etymology not explained, presumably a local name for this goby in the Caspian Sea basin
Ponticola hircaniaensis Zarei, Esmaeili, Kovačić, Schliewen & Abbasi 2022 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Hyrcania, Greek name for the south Caspian region, where this goby occurs
Ponticola iljini (Vasil’eva & Vasil’ev 1996) in honor of “noted” goby taxonomist Boris Sergeevich Iljin (1889-1958), who was the first to recognize this species as distinct from N. kessleri
Ponticola iranicus Vasil’eva, Mousavi-Sabet & Vasil’ev 2015 –icus, belonging to: Iran, referring to distribution in Iranian territory of the Caspian Sea basin
Ponticola kessleri (Günther 1861) in honor of German-Russian zoologist Karl Fedorovich Kessler (1815-1881), who described this goby in 1857 but used a preoccupied name
Ponticola odessicus (Pinchuk 1977) –ica, belonging to: Black Sea near Odessa, Ukraine, type locality
Ponticola patimari Eagderi, Nikmehr & Poorbagher 2020 in honor of Rahman Patimar, Gonbad Kavous University, for his “long and outstanding” contributions to biological studies of Iranian fishes
Ponticola platyrostris (Pallas 1814) platy, flat; rostris, snout, presumably referring to its very wide, depressed and “rather flat” (translation) head
Ponticola ratan (Nordmann 1840) from Bitschok Ratan, local name used by Odessa (Ukraine) fishermen
Ponticola rhodioni (Vasil’eva & Vasil’ev 1994) in honor of the first author’s brother, officer Rodion Denisovich Medvedev, who died in Abkhazia (a partially recognized republic in the Caucasus, claiming independence from Georgia) on 23 April 1994
Ponticola rizensis (Kovačić & Engín 2008) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Rize, a city in northeastern Turkey, near type locality
Ponticola syrman syrman (Nordmann 1840) derived from surman, a term used by Odessa (Ukraine) fishermen for P. cephalargoides but applied by Nordmann to this species
Ponticola syrman eurystomus (Kessler 1877) eury, wide; stomus, mouth, presumably referring to “[h]ind corners of quite large mouth almost at midlength of eye” (translation)
Ponticola turani (Kovačić & Engín 2008) in honor of ichthyologist Davut Turan, who helped collect gobies in northeastern Turkey, and for his contribution to the knowledge of Turkish fishes
Porogobius Bleeker 1874 poros, pore, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to cephalic sensory canals or pores; gobius, goby
Porogobius schlegelii (Günther 1861) in honor of ornithologist-herpetologist Hermann Schlegel (1804-1884), who supplied type from the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie (Leiden, Netherlands)
Priolepis Valenciennes 1837 manuscript name coined by Ehrenberg, etymology not explained, perhaps prion, saw and lepis, scale, referring to ctenoid scales on body
Priolepis agrena Winterbottom & Burridge 1993 Greek for a net, referring to mesh-like pattern produced by pigmented margins on scale pockets
Priolepis ailina Winterbottom & Burridge 1993 mournful or plaintive, referring to the “rather lugubrious expression imparted to this little fish by the dark stripe below the eye”
Priolepis aithiops Winterbottom & Burridge 1992 sunburnt, referring to its “plain dark-brown” coloration
Priolepis akihitoi Hoese & Larson 2010 in honor of Emperor Akihito of Japan (b. 1933), for his “significant and innovative contributions” to the systematics of gobioid fishes
Priolepis anthioides (Smith 1959) –oides, having the form of: etymology not explained, perhaps comparing its “vivid” red color to the colorful genus Anthias (Serranidae) [note: in 1956, Smith used the same epithet for a pomacentrid, Lepidozygus anthioides (=tapeinosoma), alluding to a “shapely elongate body” that “resembles the Anthiid fishes with which it is commonly seen,” but that comparison does not seem to apply here]
Priolepis ascensionis (Dawson & Edwards 1987) –is, genitive singular of: Ascension Island, south Atlantic, type locality (also occurs at Saint Helena Island)
Priolepis aureoviridis (Gosline 1959) aurigineus, yellow; viridis, green, referring to its yellowish-green to yellowish-brown color in life
Priolepis billbrooksi Allen, Erdmann & Brooks 2018 in honor of William (“Bill”) Mathews Brooks, the third author’s son (see also Gobiopsis jackbrooksi and Tomiyamichthys stuarti)
Priolepis boreus (Snyder 1909) etymology not explained, perhaps from boreas, northwind or north, referring to its more northerly distribution compared to the similar P. semidoliata
Priolepis cincta (Regan 1908) belt or girdle, referring to 10-11 brownish vertical bars with dark edges on yellowish body
Priolepis compita Winterbottom 1985 Latin for crossroads, referring to network of lines on head and nape, “which bears some similarity to a city street map”
Priolepis cyanocephala Hoese & Larson 2010 cyano, blue; cephalus, head, referring to blue head in live individuals
Priolepis dawsoni Greenfield 1989 in honor of Charles E. Dawson (1922-1993), formerly of the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (Ocean Springs, Mississippi, USA), who first recognized that populations of Priolepis from Brazil might differ taxonomically, and whose extensive collecting activity in South America has done much to further our understanding of the Brazilian Fish Province
Priolepis duostella Koeda, Koido, Matsuno & Endo 2021 duo, two; stella, stars, referring to two distinct black blotches on caudal fin
Priolepis eugenius (Jordan & Evermann 1903) eu-, well or very; genius, possibly a latinization of the Greek genys, cheek, referring to papillary fringes on preorbital, jaw and opercle
Priolepis fallacincta Winterbottom & Burridge 1992 fallax, false, i.e., although this goby shares a very similar color pattern with P. cincta, such an appearance is false
Priolepis farcimen (Jordan & Evermann 1903) Latin for sausage, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to short, robust body and light-brown color
Priolepis goldshmidtae Goren & Baranes 1995 in honor of Ms. Orit Goldshmidt, Interuniversity Institute of Marine Sciences (Eilat, Israel), who collected type
Priolepis hipoliti (Metzelaar 1922) “Named after it native collector” in Curaçao, Lesser Antilles
Priolepis inhaca (Smith 1949) named for Inhaca Island, Delagoa Bay, Mozambique, type locality
Priolepis kappa Winterbottom & Burridge 1993 named for the Greek letter kappa (κ), referring to the stylized “k” formed by its postocular and ocular bars
Priolepis latifascima Winterbottom & Burridge 1993 latus, broad; fascia, band; ima, end, referring to last bar on head, which is wider than the others
Priolepis limbatosquamis (Gosline 1959) limbus, edge; squama, scale, referring to each scale “completely and prominently” outlined by a series of large melanophores
Priolepis melanops Bogorodsky, Suzuki & Mal 2016 melanos, black; ops, face, referring to its black snout, lips and chin
Priolepis nocturna (Smith 1957) of the night, presumably referring to Smith’s belief that it “plainly leads a sheltered life in coral, almost certainly where the light is of low intensity”
Priolepis nuchifasciata (Günther 1873) nucha, nape; fasciata, banded, referring to seven dark-edged light-colored bars on head region
Priolepis pallidicincta Winterbottom & Burridge 1993 pallidus, pale, ashen or wan; cinctus, banded, referring to color pattern, which resembles a faded P. cinctus
Priolepis profunda (Weber 1909) deep, allusion not explained, possibly referring to its habitat, collected at 36-70 m
Priolepis psygmophilia Winterbottom & Burridge 1993 psygmos, chilliness; philia, affection or fondness, referring to its remote and relatively cool southern habitat (29˚S)
Priolepis randalli Winterbottom & Burridge 1992 in honor of ichthyologist John E. Randall (1924-2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), for collecting and photographing small gobies (including type of this one) for Winterbottom’s research program
Priolepis robinsi Garzón-Ferreira & Acero P. 1991 in honor of C. Richard Robins (1928-2020), University of Miami, for his numerous contributions to our knowledge of neotropical gobies
Priolepis semidoliata (Valenciennes 1837) semi-, half; doliata, barreled (i.e., circled), referring to light-colored transverse bars that appear to encircle anterior half of body, from snout to between the dorsal fins
Priolepis squamogena Winterbottom & Burridge 1989 squamus, scale; genys, cheek, referring to the presence of cheek scales, compared to their absence on its presumed sister species, P. cincta
Priolepis sticta Winterbottom & Burridge 1992 dappled or spotted, referring to many diffuse dark-brown spots on head and body
Priolepis triops Winterbottom & Burridge 1993 tri-, three; ops, eye, referring to characteristic ocellated black spot (i.e., an eye spot and hence a third “eye”) on first dorsal fin
Priolepis vexilla Winterbottom & Burridge 1993 a ribbon-like military standard attached to a staff or lance, referring to extremely elongate second dorsal-fin spine, which resembles a military banner carried by knights
Priolepis winterbottomi Nogawa & Endo 2007 in honor of Richard Winterbottom (b. 1944), Royal Ontario Museum, who has “greatly contributed” to the systematics of Priolepis and related groups
Proterorhinus Smitt 1900 proteros, earlier; rhinos, snout, referring to anterior tubiform nostril of P. marmoratus, “placed in the anterior inferior margin of the preorbital”
Proterorhinus marmoratus (Pallas 1814) marbled, referring to its olive-brown color, marked with white marblings
Proterorhinus nasalis (De Filippi 1863) nasal, referring to two prolonged nasal tubes above the upper jaw
Proterorhinus semilunaris (Heckel 1839) semi-, half; lunaris, of the moon, referring to crescent-shaped bands on body
Psammogobius Smith 1935 psammos, sand, referring to occurrence of P. knysnaensis on the “sand banks” of tidal rivers; gobius, goby
Psammogobius biocellatus (Valenciennes 1837) bi-, two; ocellatus, having little eyes, referring to two black spots, surrounded by white, on first dorsal fin
Psammogobius knysnaensis Smith 1935 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Knysna, Cape Province, South Africa, type locality
Psammogobius pisinnus Allen 2017 Latin for small or little, referring to “exceptionally small” maximum size (<20 mm SL) compared to congeners (70-80 mm SL)
Psammogobius viet Prokofiev 2016 shortened form of Bách Viêt, ancient name of what is now Viêt Nam, where this goby is known from Nha Trang Bay, South China Sea
Psilogobius Baldwin 1972 psilos, bare or naked, referring to lack of scales on anterior body; gobius, goby
Psilogobius mainlandi Baldwin 1972 in honor of the late Gordon B. Mainland, for his studies on Hawaiian fishes while a student at the University of Hawaii (Mainland described this goby in his unpublished 1938 masters’ thesis)
Psilogobius prolatus Watson & Lachner 1985 extended or elongated, referring to longer jaw and longer dorsal, anal and caudal fins compared to P. mainlandi
Psilogobius randalli (Goren & Karplus 1983) in honor of ichthyologist John E. Randall (1924-2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), for his “outstanding” contribution to the knowledge of fishes of the Indian Ocean and Red Sea
Psilotris vantasselli Tornabene & Baldwin 2019 in honor of James Van Tassell, Hofstra University (Hempstead, New York, USA), who has “contributed substantially to our understanding of the biology and systematics of the family Gobiidae, especially within the Gobiosomatini and other western Atlantic and eastern Pacific species”
Psilotris Ginsburg 1953 psilo-, bare or smooth, referring to total lack of scales of P. alepis; [Ele]otris, then placed in the family Eleotridae
Psilotris alepis Ginsburg 1953 a-, without; lepis, scale, referring to its total lack of scales
Psilotris boehlkei Greenfield 1993 in honor of the late James E. Böhlke (1930-1982), Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, who first recognized this goby as undescribed and had planned to name it, for his contributions to our knowledge of western Atlantic fishes
Psilotris celsa Böhlke 1963 high, elevated or extending upward, referring to prolonged anterior dorsal spine of adults
Psilotris kaufmani Greenfield, Findley & Johnson 1993 in honor of evolutionary ecologist Les Kaufman, New England Aquarium (Boston, Massachusetts, USA), who collected this goby and took aquarium photographs of it, which he provided to the authors
Psilotris laetarii Van Tassell & Young 2016 in honor of Heath Jens Laetari (1978-2006), Vice President of Dive Operations, Partner & Acquisition Manager for Dynasty Marine (a supplier of live Caribbean ocean life), who was lost at sea during a free dive in the Florida Keys
Psilotris laurae Van Tassell, Tornabene & Baldwin 2016 in honor of Laura Albini, wife of Adriaan “Dutch” Schrier, owner of Substation Curacao, through whose efforts new, tropical, deepwater species are being discovered; Laura generously fed and hosted numerous researchers during their visits to Curacao
Ptereleotris Gill 1863 pteron, fin, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to long anal and second-dorsal fins of P. microlepis; Eleotris (Eleotridae), referring to its previous placement in that genus
Ptereleotris arabica Randall & Hoese 1985 Arabian, referring to its distribution in the Arabian Peninsula (including Red Sea and Persian Gulf)
Ptereleotris brachyptera Randall & Suzuki 2008 brachys, short; ptera, fin, referring to its very low first dorsal fin
Ptereleotris caeruleomarginata Allen & Erdmann 2012 caeruleus, blue; marginata, margined, referring to diagnostic blue margin on caudal fin
Ptereleotris calliura (Jordan & Gilbert 1882) calli-, beautiful; oura, tailed, referring to its lanceolate caudal fin with filamentous middle rays, “middle of caudal dusky (blue), with paler (perhaps red) edgings”
Ptereleotris carinata Bussing 2001 keeled, referring to pronounced membranous keel extending beneath its head
Ptereleotris crossogenion Randall & Suzuki 2008 crosso, fringe; genion, chin, referring to slender papillae that form a fringe on chin
Ptereleotris cyanops Kodeeswaran & Praveenraj 2020 cyanos, blue; ops, eye, referring to blue iridescent bands on orbit of eyes
Ptereleotris evides (Jordan & Hubbs 1925) pretty, allusion not explained, possibly referring to its “rather slender” body with “evenly curved contours” and/or “large, conspicuous, oval, blackish, indefinitely ocellated spot, located half on the body and half on the caudal fin” (described as brown, perhaps its color in alcohol, which belies the actual attractive coloration of adults: light bluish-gray shading posteriorly to black)
Ptereleotris grammica Randall & Lubbock 1982 linear, referring to its distinctive linear color pattern (alternating longitudinal bands of orange-yellow and blue)
Ptereleotris hanae (Jordan & Snyder 1901) in honor of Hana, daughter of zoologist Kakichi Mitsukuri (1857-1909), Imperial University of Tokyo, who collected type
Ptereleotris helenae (Randall 1968) in honor of Randall’s wife, Helen Au Randall
Ptereleotris heteroptera (Bleeker 1855) heteros, different; ptera, fin, presumably referring to its “extraordinarily long” (translation) anal and second-dorsal fins, different from its presumed congeners in Eleotris (Eleotridae)
Ptereleotris kallista Randall & Suzuki 2008 Greek for most beautiful, described as “lovely”
Ptereleotris lineopinnis (Fowler 1935) linea, line; pinna, fin, referring to dark longitudinal line on second dorsal fin and anal fin
Ptereleotris melanopogon Randall & Hoese 1985 melanos, black; pogon, beard, referring to black barbel on chin
Ptereleotris melanota Randall & Lubbock 1982 mela-, black; nota, mark, referring to its median stripe, which is black behind pectoral-fin base
Ptereleotris microlepis (Bleeker 1856) micro-, small; lepis, scale, referring to very small and embedded scales
Ptereleotris monoptera Randall & Hoese 1985 mono-, one; pterus, fin, referring to its most distinct morphological feature, its continuous dorsal fin
Ptereleotris randalli Gasparini, Rocha & Floeter 2001 in honor of “prominent” ichthyologist John E. Randall (1924-2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), for his numerous contributions to the taxonomy of reef fishes in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans
Ptereleotris rubristigma Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2012 ruber, red; stigma, mark, referring to diagnostic red spot on pectoral-fin base
Ptereleotris uroditaenia Randall & Hoese 1985 oura, tail; taenia, band, referring to two dark bands on caudal fin
Ptereleotris zebra (Fowler 1938) referring to its zebra-like striped appearance
Pterocerdale Hoese & Motomura 2009 combination of Ptereleotrinae (presumed provisional subfamily at the time) and Cerdale, referring to its similarity with that genus
Pterocerdale insolita Hoese & Motomura 2009 strange, unusual or uncommon, “all features of [this] new species” (e.g., displaying features common with the nominal subfamilies Ptereleotrinae and Microdesminae, its very flexible body that bends much like a blenny or Parioglossus, and its rarity [known from a single specimen)]