Updated 5 Aug. 2026
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Sand Darts
Subfamily KRAEMERIINAE Whitley 1935

Gobitrichinotus Fowler 1943 gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby, presumably referring to goby-like shape or appearance; Trichonotus, then placed in the sanddiver family Trichonotidae

Gobitrichinotus arnoulti Kiener 1963 eponym not identified, probably in honor of Kiener’s colleague at Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris), ichthyologist-herpetologist Jacques Arnoult (1914–1995)

Gobitrichinotus radiocularis Fowler 1943 radius (L.), ray; ocularis (L.), of the eye, referring to dark bar from eye to hind part of maxillary, and two others that “radiate” from hind part of each eye, expanding backward

Kraemeria Steindachner 1906 -ia (L. suffix), belonging to: German naturalist and ethnographer Augustin Friedrich Krämer (1865-1941), who studied the culture of Samoa, where he collected holotype 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 from cunicularius (L.), 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, Latin suffix denoting place, but in this case a ship: Galathea, of the Danish Deep-Sea Expedition Round the World (1950–1952), during which holotype was collected [author previously known as Harry]

Kraemeria merensis Whitley 1935 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: presumably a Latinization of Murray, referring to Murray Island, northern Queensland, Australia, type locality

Kraemeria nuda (Regan 1908) Latin for bare or naked, referring to scaleless body and head

Kraemeria samoensis Steindachner 1906 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Samoa, type locality [appeared first as K. sandvicensis Steindachner 1906 in an earlier published abstract but did not appear in the main work; the latter name is retained due to prevailing usage]

Kraemeria tongaensis Rofen 1958 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Tonga Islands, where type locality, Namuka Island, is situated [author previously known as Harry]

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Dart Gobies
Subfamily PTERELEOTRINAE Bleeker 1875

Aioliops Rennis & Hoese 1987 aiólos (αἰόλος) swift, and Aíolos (Αἴολος), God of the Wind; íōps (ἴωψ), a small fish fish, referring to the speed with which these small fishes avoid capture

Aioliops brachypterus Rennis & Hoese 1987 brachýs (βραχύς), short; pterus, from pterón (πτερόν), wing or fin, referring to the relatively short lengths of its dorsal, caudal and pelvic fins

Aioliops megastigma Rennis & Hoese 1987 mégas (μέγας), large or great; stígma (στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to its large caudal-fin spot

Aioliops novaeguineae Rennis & Hoese 1987 of Papua New Guinea, type locality

Aioliops tetrophthalmus Rennis & Hoese 1987 tetrá (τετρά), four; ophthalmós (ὀφθαλμός), eye, referring to four-eyed appearance created by its caudal-fin spot

Navigobius Hoese & Motomura 2009 navis (L.), a ship, here meaning to float or swim, referring to epibenthic swimming habits of N. dewa; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Navigobius asayake Okamoto & Motomura 2018 Japanese noun meaning “sunrise colors,” referring to its reddish coloration

Navigobius dewa Hoese & Motomura 2009 in honor of Mr. Shin’ichi Dewa, Diving Service (Kagoshima, Japan), who collected holotype [a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]

Navigobius kaguya Gill, Tea & Senou 2017 named for 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, Vietnam, where type locality (Nha Trang Bay) is situated [may be a juvenile species of Oxymetopon]

Navigobius vittatus Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2015 Latin for striped or banded, referring to blue stripes on both dorsal fins

Nemateleotris Fowler 1938 nḗmatos (νήματος), threaded, referring to elongated, filamentous first dorsal-fin spine of N. magnifica; Eleotris, then placed in Eleotridae

Nemateleotris decora Randall & Allen 1973 Latin for elegant and beautiful, referring to its coloration

Nemateleotris helfrichi Randall & Allen 1973 in honor of Philip Helfrich (1927–2024), 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 its “beautiful” lavender-to-lilac coloration in life

Nemateleotris magnifica Fowler 1938 Latin for splendid, referring to a “color pattern of greatly pleasing and contrasted design”

Oxymetopon Bleeker 1860 oxýs (ὀξύς), sharp or pointed; métōpon (μέτωπον), after the eye, i.e., forehead, presumably referring to scaly, fleshy keel on brow

Oxymetopon amblyopinus (Kner 1868) -inus (L.), 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) [species inquirenda, similar to Oxymetopon based on illustration but possibly a cepolid (Acanthuriformes), with no surviving specimens]

Oxymetopon compressus Chan 1966 Latin for squeezed or pressed together, referring to its “very compressed, ribbon-like shape,” a representative feature of the genus

Oxymetopon curticauda Prokofiev 2016 curtus (L.), short; cauda (L.), tail, referring to substantially truncated caudal region, distinguishing it from congeners

Oxymetopon cyanoctenosum Klausewitz & Condé 1981 cyano-, from kýanos (κύανος), dark blue (but here meaning blue in general); ctenosum, presumably a scientific Neo-Latin adjective derived from ktenós (κτενός), comb, 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 Latin for filamentous, referring to filamentous first four rays of first dorsal fin

Oxymetopon typus Bleeker 1860 serving as type of the genus

Ptereleotris Gill 1863 pterón (πτερόν), 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 -ica (L.), belonging to: Arabian Peninsula (including Red Sea and Persian Gulf), where it occurs

Ptereleotris brachyptera Randall & Suzuki 2008 brachýs (βραχύς), short; ptera, from pterón (πτερόν), fin, referring to its very low first dorsal fin

Ptereleotris caeruleomarginata Allen & Erdmann 2012 caeruleus (L.), dark blue (but used here to mean blue in general); marginata (L.), edged or bordered, referring to diagnostic blue margin on caudal fin

Ptereleotris calliura (Jordan & Gilbert 1882) beautifully tailed, from kállos (κάλλος), beauty, and ourá (οὐρά), tail, referring to its lanceolate caudal fin with filamentous middle rays, “middle of caudal dusky (blue), with paler (perhaps red) edgings” [treated as a noun, calliurus, by some workers]

Ptereleotris carinata Bussing 2001 Latin for keeled, referring to pronounced membranous keel extending beneath its head

Ptereleotris crossogenion Randall & Suzuki 2008 crosso, from krossós (κροσσός), fringe or tassel; géneion (γένειον), chin, referring to slender papillae that form a fringe on chin

Ptereleotris cyanops Kodeeswaran & Praveenraj 2020 cyano-, from kýanos (κύανος), dark blue (but here meaning blue in general); ṓps (ὦψ), eye, referring to blue iridescent bands on orbit of eyes

Ptereleotris evides (Jordan & Hubbs 1925) Latinized from eueidḗs (εὐειδής), comely, 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 from grammikós (γραμματικός), 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 holotype

Ptereleotris helenae (Randall 1968) in honor of Randall’s wife and professional partner, Helen Au Randall (b. 1927)

Ptereleotris heteroptera (Bleeker 1855) héteros (ἕτερος), different; ptera, from pterón (πτερόν), 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 from kállistos (κάλλιστος), most beautiful, described as “lovely”

Ptereleotris lineopinnis (Fowler 1935) linea (L.), line; Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to dark longitudinal line on second dorsal fin and anal fin

Ptereleotris melanopogon Randall & Hoese 1985 mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; pṓgōn (πώγων), beard, referring to black barbel on chin

Ptereleotris melanota Randall & Lubbock 1982 mélas (μέλας), black; nota (L.), mark, referring to its median stripe, which is black behind pectoral-fin base

Ptereleotris microlepis (Bleeker 1856) micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small; lepís (λεπίς), scale, referring to very small and embedded scales

Ptereleotris monoptera Randall & Hoese 1985 mono-, from mónos (μόνος), one or single; ptera, from pterón (πτερόν), 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 rubri-, from ruber (L.), red; stígma (στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to diagnostic red spot on pectoral-fin base

Ptereleotris uroditaenia Randall & Hoese 1985 ourá (οὐρά), tail; di-, from dýo (δύο), two; taenia, from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to two dark bands on caudal fin

Ptereleotris zebra (Fowler 1938) named for 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 Latin for 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)]

Zagadkogobius Prokofiev 2017 zagadka, Russian word for mystery (per English version of paper, but a better translation would be “puzzle, riddle or enigma”), referring to its unusual combination of diagnostic characters; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Zagadkogobius ourlazon Prokofiev 2017 said by Prokofiev to be from the Greek ουρλάζων, mourner at a funeral, referring to large dark spot under eye, perhaps a misspelling or poor transliteration of alalázōn (ἀλαλάζων), wailing

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Sea Gobies
Subfamily GOBIINAE Cuvier 1816

Aboma Jordan & Starks 1895 vernacular name for gobies in Sinaloa, Mexico, type locality of A. etheostoma

Aboma etheostoma Jordan & Starks 1895 named for its strong resemblance to the North American darter genus Etheostoma (Percidae)

Acentrogobius Bleeker 1874 á- (ἄ), privative, i.e., without, and centro-, from kéntron (κέντρον), any sharp point, referring to absence of preopercular spine on A. chlorostigma (=viridipunctatus), compared with presence of that spine on Centrogobius (=Oplopomus); gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Acentrogobius andhraensis (Herre 1944) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Andhra, ancient name of area encompassing Vizagapatam, India, type locality

Acentrogobius brevirostris (Günther 1861) brevis (L.), short; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, referring to obtuse snout, as long as orbit

Acentrogobius calamianensis (Herre 1934) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Calamianes, Philippines, type locality [species inquirenda, provisionally included here]

Acentrogobius caninus (Valenciennes 1837) Latin for canine, presumably referring to enlarged teeth in outer row of upper jaw and/or to canine teeth on each side of lower jaw

Acentrogobius cenderawasih Allen & Erdmann 2012 named for Cenderawasih Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, type locality

Acentrogobius chusanensis (Herre 1940) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Chusan Island, China, type locality

Acentrogobius dasi (Talwar, Chatterjee & Dev Roy 1982) in honor of Apurba Kumar Das (b. 1952), Officer-in-Charge, Zoological Survey of India, Andaman & Nicobar Regional Station, who made specimens available for study [species inquirenda, provisionally included here]

Acentrogobius dayi Koumans 1941 in honor of Francis Day (1829–1889), Inspector-General of Fisheries in India, who reported this goby as A. brevirostris in 1876 and 1889

Acentrogobius decaryi (Pellegrin 1932) in honor of biologist Raymond Decary (1891–1973), a colonial administrator in Madagascar, who sent several collections of fishes to the Muséum National d’Histoire naturelle (Paris), including holotype of this one

Acentrogobius gracilis (Bleeker 1875) Latin for thin or slender, referring to its more elongate body compared with Arenigobius frenatus, its presumed close relative at the time

Acentrogobius horai (Fowler 1925) in honor of Sunder Lal Hora (1896– 1955), the “accomplished ichthyologist of the Indian Museum”

Acentrogobius janthinopterus (Bleeker 1853) ianthus (L.), purple or violet (with the Latin “i” replaced by the Roman “j”); pterus, from pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to the color of its fins

Acentrogobius limarius Allen, Erdmann & Hadiaty 2015 Latin for of or belonging to mud, referring to its mud-bottom habitat

Acentrogobius madraspatensis (Day 1868) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Madrasapattinam (Madras Town), precursor to Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu, India, type locality

Acentrogobius masoni (Day 1873) in honor of Day’s friend, British zoologist James Wood-Mason (1846–1893), Indian Museum (Calcutta)

Acentrogobius moloanus (Herre 1927) -anus (L.), belonging to: Molo, Iloilo Province, Panay Island, Philippines, type locality

Acentrogobius multifasciatus (Herre 1927) multi– (L.), many; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to 10–14 narrow dark-brown crossbands, which become black lines on belly

Acentrogobius nigromaculatus Koreeda & Motomura 2025 nigro-, from niger (L.), dark or black; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to single black spot on spine tip of second dorsal fin

Acentrogobius pellidebilis Lee & Kim 1992 pellis (L.), animal skin; debilis (L.), feeble, “alluding to the feeble skin” (not mentioned elsewhere in description)

Acentrogobius pflaumii (Bleeker 1853) in honor of A. K. J. L. W. Pflaum, Surgeon Major, Royal Dutch East Indies Army, who provided holotype

Acentrogobius quinquemaculatus Allen 2017 quinque (L.), five; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to five, large brown markings on middle of sides

Acentrogobius simplex (Sauvage 1880) Latin for simple or uncomplicated, allusion not explained nor evident

Acentrogobius suluensis (Herre 1927) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Sulu Province, Philippines, type locality

Acentrogobius therezieni Kiener 1963 in honor of friend and colleague Y. Thérézien (1925–2015), hydrobiologist and fisheries researcher, who collected holotype

Acentrogobius vanderloosi Allen 2015 in honor of Robert (“Rob”) van der Loos (spelled “Vanderloos” by Allen), owner and operator of the live-aboard dive vessel Chertan (Alotau, Papua New Guinea); his generous assistance was instrumental in the discovery of this goby

Acentrogobius veliensis (Geevarghese & John 1982) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Veli estuary in Trivandrum, southwestern coast of Kerala State, India, type locality

Acentrogobius violarisi Allen 2015 in honor of Julius Violaris, owner of Nawe Constructions at Alotau, Papua New Guinea, for “allowing uninterrupted access to the survey site that yielded the new species, and for his generosity in continuing to provide an excellent home base for the Chertan, the live-aboard dive vessel that served as the logistic centre for the trip on which the new species was collected”

Acentrogobius virgatulus (Jordan & Snyder 1901) diminutive of virgatus (L.), striped or made of twigs, i.e., narrowly striped, referring to five narrow, dark, longitudinal streaks on sides

Acentrogobius viridipunctatus (Valenciennes 1837) viridis (L.), green; punctatus (L.), spotted, referring to “very brilliant metallic green” (translation) spots on body

Afurcagobius Gill 1993 á- (ἄ), privative, i.e., without, and furca (L.), two-pronged fork, referring to lack of forked tongue, the most obvious distinguishing character between this genus and the morphologically similar Glossogobius; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Afurcagobius suppositus (Sauvage 1880) Latin for substituted, being a substitute or replacement name for Gobius obscurus Castelnau 1873, preoccupied by G. obscurus Peters 1855

Afurcagobius tamarensis (Johnston 1883) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Tamar River, Tasmania, Australia, type locality

Akko Birdsong & Robins 1995 akkṓ (ἀκκώ), bugbear or bogeyman (authors say specter), referring to “pallid and unusual appearance” of A. dionaea

Akko brevis (Günther 1864) Latin for short, allusion not explained, possibly referring to its length (described from one specimen “3 inches long” [7.62 cm]), shorter than its presumed congeners in Amblyopus (Oxudercidae, now divided among Gobioides, Odontamblyopus and Taenioides)

Akko dionaea Birdsong & Robins 1995 named for Dionaea, Venus Flytrap genus, referring to the appearance of its open mouth and exposed teeth

Akko rossi Van Tassell & Baldwin 2004 in honor of friend and colleague D. Ross Robertson (b. 1946), Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, for substantial contributions to our understanding of the diversity of tropical eastern Pacific shorefishes

Amblyeleotris Bleeker 1874 amblýs (ἀμβλύς), blunt, referring to “very obtuse and truncated profile” (translation) of A. periophthalmus, originally placed in Eleotris

Amblyeleotris arcupinna Mohlmann & Munday 1999 arcus (L.), bow or arch; pinna (L.), fin, referring to arc-shaped mark on first dorsal fin

Amblyeleotris aurora (Polunin & Lubbock 1977) named for Aurora, Roman goddess of dawn, referring to pattern on caudal fin, “reminiscent of the rising sun”

Amblyeleotris bellicauda Randall 2004 bellus (L.), beautiful; cauda (L.), tail, referring to its strikingly colored caudal fin

Amblyeleotris biguttata Randall 2004 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; guttata (L.), spotted, referring to pair of prominent black spots on chin

Amblyeleotris bleekeri Chen, Shao & Chen 2006 in honor of Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker (1819–1878), for “significant” contributions to Indo-Pacific fish research, including authorship of this genus

Amblyeleotris callopareia Polunin & Lubbock 1979 callo-, from kállos (κάλλος), beauty; pareiá (παρειά), cheek, referring to distinctive coloration on side of head, with three more-or-less vertical golden-yellow stripes

Amblyeleotris cephalotaenia (Ni 1989) cephalo, from kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head; taenia (L.), from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to two black streaks behind eye

Amblyeleotris delicatulus Smith 1958 diminutive of delicatus (L.), delicate or dainty, described from a “fragile” holotype, “damaged, many scales gone”

Amblyeleotris diagonalis Polunin & Lubbock 1979 Latin for diagonal, referring to oblique bands on body

Amblyeleotris downingi Randall 1994 in honor of South African-born British marine biologist Nigel Downing (b. 1951), formerly of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, who collected the northern Arabian (Persian) Gulf specimens with Randall and provided logistical support during the latter’s visit to Kuwait

Amblyeleotris ellipse Randall 2004 English and French word for a closed curve, referring to large elliptical mark in caudal fin

Amblyeleotris fasciata (Herre 1953) Latin for banded, referring to five broad, transverse bands encircling body, brownish in alcohol, probably purple-red or brown in life

Amblyeleotris fontanesii (Bleeker 1853) in honor of H. R. F. Fontanes, Surgeon Major, Royal Dutch East Indies Army, who provided a collection of fishes from Bulucumba, Sulawesi, Indonesia, presumably including the holotype of this one

Amblyeleotris guttata (Fowler 1938) Latin for spotted, referring to many variable, mostly large and rounded blue-gray spots, more or less ringed with darker brown, on head and body

Amblyeleotris gymnocephala (Bleeker 1853) bare-headed, from gymnós (γυμνός), bare or naked, and kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to its scaleless head

Amblyeleotris harrisorum Mohlmann & Randall 2002 -orum (L.), commemorative suffix, plural: in honor of Randall’s friends Hamilton and Nancy Harris who sponsored the authors’ expedition to Kiritimati, or Christmas Island, where this goby is endemic (J. E. Randall, pers. comm.)

Amblyeleotris japonica Takagi 1957 -ica (L.), belonging to: Japan, where type locality (Kagoshima Bay, Kagoshima Prefecture) is situated

Amblyeleotris latifasciata Polunin & Lubbock 1979 latus (L.), wide or broad; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to wider bands on body compared with many related species

Amblyeleotris macronema Polunin & Lubbock 1979 macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; nḗma (νῆμα), thread or yarn, referring to long (third and fourth) spines of first dorsal fin

Amblyeleotris marquesas Mohlmann & Randall 2002 named for the Marquesas Islands, type locality

Amblyeleotris masuii Aonuma & Yoshino 1996 in honor of M. Masui, a collector for Umikawa Coral Fish Shop (Okinawa-jima Island, Japan), who collected holotype

Amblyeleotris melanocephala Aonuma, Iwata & Yoshino 2000 black-headed, from mélas (μέλας), black, and kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to the dark coloration of its head

Amblyeleotris memnonia Prokofiev 2016 Latin for of or belonging to Memnon, mythical king of Ethiopian, a poetic designation of dark or black color in Ovid, referring to its uniform dark color of body

Amblyeleotris morishitai Senou & Aonuma 2007 in honor of diver and underwater photographer Osamu Morishita, who discovered this goby

Amblyeleotris neglecta Jaafar & Randall 2009 neglected, referring to the fact that this goby was first collected and photographed 34 years before it was recognized as a new species

Amblyeleotris novaecaledoniae Goren 1981 of New Caledonia, type locality

Amblyeleotris ogasawarensis Yanagisawa 1978 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Ogasawara Islands, Japan, type locality

Amblyeleotris periophthalmus (Bleeker 1853) described as “periophthalmoïdeo” (Periophthalmus-like), i.e., similar to blunt head and/or elevated eyes of mudskipper gobies (Oxudercidae) [often treated as an adjective, periophthalma, but since Bleeker was likely referring to the genus Periophthalmus it should be treated as a noun]

Amblyeleotris randalli Hoese & Steene 1978 in honor of American ichthyologist John E. Randall (1924–2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), who brought this goby to the authors’ attention

Amblyeleotris rhyax Polunin & Lubbock 1979 rhýax (ῥύαξ ), stream of lava from a volcano (authors simply say volcano), referring to its “fiery” colors (e.g., numerous red-edged orange spots on head and body; head and anterior body with three narrow reddish bars)

Amblyeleotris rubrimarginata Mohlmann & Randall 2002 rubri-, from ruber, red; marginata (L.), edged or bordered, referring to distinctive bright-red margin on both dorsal fins

Amblyeleotris steinitzi (Klausewitz 1974) in honor of the late Heinz Steinitz (1909–1971), Israeli marine biologist, herpetologist, and founder of the marine laboratory that bears his name, in Eilat, Israel, on the Gulf of Aqaba, where this goby occurs

Amblyeleotris stenotaeniata Randall 2004 sténos (στένος), narrow; taeniatus, banded (L.), referring to narrow oblique dark bars on body

Amblyeleotris sungami (Klausewitz 1969) in honor of ethologist Dietrich B. E. Magnus, who collected holotype (Sungam is Magnus spelled backwards; why Klausewitz reversed the name is not explained)

Amblyeleotris taipinensis Chen, Shao & Chen 2006 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Taipin Island, South China Sea, type locality

Amblyeleotris triguttata Randall 1994 tri– (L.), three; guttata (L.), spotted, referring to its three most prominent dark spots, one on side of nape and two on first dorsal fin

Amblyeleotris wheeleri (Polunin & Lubbock 1977) in honor of Alwyne C. Wheeler (1929–2005), Curator of Fishes at the British Museum (Natural History), for his help over the years, particularly with the authors’ study of prawn-associated gobies of the Seychelles

Amblyeleotris yanoi Aonuma & Yoshino 1996 in honor of Korechika Yano, diving instructor and underwater photographer (Iriomote Island, Japan), who collected holotype [see also Ancistrogobius yanoi]

Amblygobius Bleeker 1874 amblýs (ἀμβλύς), blunt, referring to compressed, convex and blunt head of A. sphynx; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Amblygobius albimaculatus (Rüppell 1830) albus (L.), white; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to two series of fine, milky white spots at bases of dorsal fins

Amblygobius buanensis Herre 1927 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Buan Island, off eastern coast of Tawitrawi, Philippines, type locality

Amblygobius bynoensis (Richardson 1844) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Bynoe Harbour, Western Australia, type locality

Amblygobius calvatus Allen & Erdmann 2016 Latin for made bald or bare, referring to lack of scales on entire nape region

Amblygobius cheraphilus Allen & Erdmann 2016 mud-loving, from chérados (χέραδος), mud, silt or sand, and phílos (φίλος), fond of, referring to its mud and silt habitat, sometimes near freshwater-stream mouths

Amblygobius decussatus (Bleeker 1855) Latin for divided crosswise in the form of an X, referring to four longitudinal bands on body, united by crossbars

Amblygobius esakiae Herre 1939 in honor of entomologist Teiso Esaki (1899–1957), Kyushu Imperial University (Fukuoka, Japan), who collected holotype [although named after a man, “ae” is an acceptable way to form a genitive from a masculine noun that ends in “a”]

Amblygobius linki Herre 1927 in honor of Capt. Francis Link, longtime resident of Jolo, Philippines, for his “indefatigable labors in advancing our knowledge of the Sulu Archipelago, and its fauna, flora, and people”

Amblygobius nocturnus (Herre 1945) nocturnal, referring to Herre’s observation that this and other “alleged” pelagic gobies of the Pacific live on the bottom and come to the surface only at night

Amblygobius phalaena (Valenciennes 1837) Greek (φάλαινα) for moth, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its moth-like coloration, e.g., dark brown edged with white (see also A. sphynx)

Amblygobius semicinctus (Bennett 1833) semi-, from semis (L.), a half or moiety; cinctus (L.), belted or girdled, referring to six black-margined, vertical blue bands on lower half of body

Amblygobius sewardii (Playfair 1867) in honor of George E. Seward (1826–1917), Surgeon to the Zanzibar Political Agency (type locality is Zanzibar, Tanzania)

Amblygobius sphynx (Valenciennes 1837) etymology not explained, presumably named for its sphynx moth-like coloration or appearance, e.g., gray-brown silver with six large brown vertical stripes (see also A. phalaena)

Amblygobius stethophthalmus (Bleeker 1851) stḗthos (στῆθος), breast or chest; ophthalmós (ὀφθαλμός), eye, allusion not explained nor evident

Amblygobius tekomaji (Smith 1959) named for Tekomaji Island, Mozambique, Indian Ocean, type locality

Anatirostrum Iljin 1930 anatis (L.), duck; rostrum (L.), snout, referring to its elongate, duck-bill shaped snout (commonly called the Duck-bill Goby)

Anatirostrum profundorum (Berg 1927) Latin for “of the depths,” referring to its occurrence at depths below 100 m in the Southern Caspian Sea, Iran

Ancistrogobius Shibukawa, Yoshino & Allen 2010 ancistro-, from ágkistron (ἄγκιστρον), fishhook or hook of a spindle, referring to short, ventrally directed, spur-like preopercular spine; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Ancistrogobius dipus Shibukawa, Yoshino & Allen 2010 di-, from dýo (δύο), two; pus, from poús (πούς), foot (homologous to the ventral fins), referring to its widely separated ventral fins

Ancistrogobius squamiceps Shibukawa, Yoshino & Allen 2010 squama (L.), scale; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to presence of scales on head (upper part of operculum) and nape

Ancistrogobius yanoi Shibukawa, Yoshino & Allen 2010 in honor of Korechika Yano, Dive Service YANO (Iriomote Island, Japan), who discovered this goby and photographed it underwater, who provided several specimens and habitat information, and helped confirm that it differed from A. yoshigoui [see also Amblyeleotris yanoi]

Ancistrogobius yoshigoui Shibukawa, Yoshino & Allen 2010 in honor of zoologist Hidenori Yoshigou, Chugai Technos Co. Ltd. (Hiroshima, Japan), who provided five paratypes and valuable information about this goby

Antilligobius Van Tassell & Tornabene 2012 from the Dutch Antillen, referring to the Antilles or Caribbean Sea, where A. nikkiae occurs; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Antilligobius nikkiae Van Tassell & Colin 2012 in honor of Nicole Laura Schrier, daughter of Adriaan “Dutch” Schrier, owner of the Sea Aquarium in Curaçao, who (Adriaan) collected many of the type specimens

Aphia Risso 1827 Latinization of aphýē (ἀφύη), small fry (i.e., small fish), referring to its size; at 44 mm, Risso believed it was the smallest fish in the northwestern Mediterranean

Aphia minuta (Risso 1810) Latin for very small, described at 44 mm, “the smallest fish that exists in all our waters,” i.e., Nice, France, northwestern Mediterranean (translation)

Arcygobius Larson & Wright 2003 árkys (ἄρκυς), a net, referring to how A. baliurus is usually collected as bycatch by trawl nets; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Arcygobius baliurus (Valenciennes 1837) baliós (βαλιός), speckled or dappled; urus, from ourá (οὐρά), tail, presumably referring to white dots on caudal-fin rays

Arenigobius Whitley 1930 etymology not explained, perhaps arena (L.), sand, referring to occurrence of A. bifrenatus in burrows on sandy, silty or muddy bottoms; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Arenigobius bifrenatus (Kner 1865) bi-, from bis (L.), twice; frenatus (L.), bridled, referring to two oblique dark bands originating on head below eye

Arenigobius frenatus (Günther 1861) Latin for bridled, referring to light-edged blackish band from maxillary to lower pectoral-fin base, with another less-distinct band running parallel to upper pectoral-fin base

Arenigobius leftwichi (Ogilby 1910) in honor of oyster merchant Richard W. Leftwich, Jr. (1856–1914), of Maryborough (Queensland, Australia), to whom Ogilby was “indebted for many kindnesses”

Aruma Ginsburg 1933 etymology not explained nor evident

Aruma histrio (Jordan 1884) Latin for stage player or actor but used here to mean harlequin, a character in comedy and pantomime with a masked face, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “dusky longitudinal blotch on upper part of cheeks”

Asterropteryx Rüppell 1830 a-, privative, i.e., not; sterrós (στερρός), firm or stiff; ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to slender and flexible dorsal-fin spines of A. semipunctata

Asterropteryx atripes Shibukawa & Suzuki 2002 atri-, from ater (L.), black; pes (L.), foot (homologous to the ventral fin), referring to its conspicuously black ventral fins

Asterropteryx bipunctata Allen & Munday 1995 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; punctata (L.), spotted, referring to prominent ocellated black spot at base of first three dorsal spines, and a similar spot with orange margin at base of middle caudal-fin rays

Asterropteryx ensifera (Bleeker 1874) ensis (L.), sword; –fera (L.), having or bearing, referring to bony, spine-like projection at corner of preopercle

Asterropteryx ovata Shibukawa & Suzuki 2007 Latin for egg-shaped (i.e., oval), referring to large ovoid black spot on base of caudal fin

Asterropteryx profunda Allen & Erdmann 2016 Latin for deep, referring to its deep-reef habitat in relation to congeners and most reef-dwelling gobies

Asterropteryx semipunctata Rüppell 1830 semi-, from semis (L.), a half or moiety; punctata (L.), spotted, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to sky-blue spots, which cover entire body except for lower half of head

Asterropteryx senoui Shibukawa & Suzuki 2007 in honor of Hiroshi Senou, Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History, who collected some of the paratypes, for his “great” contribution to our knowledge of systematics and distribution of Japanese fishes

Asterropteryx spinosa (Goren 1981) Latin for thorny, referring to five bony, spine-like projections on preopercle

Asterropteryx striata Allen & Munday 1995 Latin for grooved or furrowed (i.e., striped), referring to its distinctive midlateral stripe

Aulopareia Smith 1945 aulós (αὐλός), groove; pareiá (παρειά), cheek, referring to cheek scales of A. janetae, which are arranged in six horizontal rows separated by narrow grooves or furrows

Aulopareia caerulostellata Tan, Lavoué & Khaironizam 2026 caeruleus (L.), dark blue (but used here to mean blue in general); stellata (L.), studded with stars (but treated as a noun), referring to conspicuous pattern of scattering vivid bluish spots on dorsal half of body

Aulopareia cyanomos (Bleeker 1849) cyano-, from kýanos (κύανος), dark blue (but here meaning blue in general); hṓmos (ὦμος), shoulder, referring to blue blotch on shoulder

Aulopareia microps (Chu 1963) micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small; ṓps (ὦψ), eye, described as “small, 5–6.5 times eye diameter in head length, round in shape, dorsolaterally placed” (translation) [previously in Acentrogobius; provisionally placed here]

Aulopareia koumansi (Herre 1937) in honor of goby taxonomist Frederik Petrus Koumans (1905–1977), Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie (Leiden, Netherlands), for his work on the gobies of the East Indies

Aulopareia ocellata (Day 1873) Latin for having little eyes (ocelli), referring to yellow ocellus at top of posterior half of caudal fin

Aulopareia unicolor (Valenciennes 1837) uni-, from unus (L.), one, presumably referring to its uniform tawny-brown body coloration

Aulopareia vadosa Larson & Jaafar 2022 Latin for full of shallows, referring to the only habitat (intertidal soft bottoms) from which it is known

Austrolethops Whitley 1935 Austro-, an Australian blind goby similar to Lethops (Oxudercidae) [lḗthē (λήθη), forgetfulness; ṓps (ὦψ), eye, referring to poorly developed eyes]

Austrolethops wardi Whitley 1935 in honor of actor, naturalist and marine collector Charles Melbourne Ward (1903–1966), who collected holotype

Babka Iljin 1927 Russian slang for an old woman or grandmother, and a local name for gobies

Babka gymnotrachelus (Kessler 1857) gymnós (γυμνός), bare or naked; tráchēlos (τράχηλος), neck or throat, referring to absence of scales on midline of nape, in front of preoperculum

Babka macrophthalma (Kessler 1877) big-eyed, from makrós (μακρός), long or large, and ophthalmós (ὀφθαλμός), eye, referring to its large eyes, their diameter up to 1/3 in HL in specimens up to 66 mm TL

Barbulifer Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1888 diminutive of barbus (L.), beard, i.e., a small barbel; -ifer, from fero (L.), to have or bear, referring to numerous minute barbels around mouth and chin of B. papillosus (=ceuthoecus)

Barbulifer antennatus Böhlke & Robins 1968 Neo-Latin adjective for “having antennae” (i.e., feelers), referring to longer barbels compared with B. ceuthoecus

Barbulifer ceuthoecus (Jordan & Gilbert 1884) keuthmón (κευθμών), cavity; oikeios (οἰκεῖος), dweller, referring to type specimen taken from the cavity of a sponge

Barbulifer enigmaticus Joyeux, Van Tassell & Macieira 2009 Latin for enigmatic, referring to its identity remaining unresolved for many years

Barbulifer mexicanus Hoese & Larson 1985 -anus (L.), belonging to: Mexico, where type locality (eastern Pacific of Baja California) is situated

Barbulifer pantherinus (Pellegrin 1901) Latin for panther-like, presumably referring to its color pattern (irregular brown spots on yellowish-white body)

Barbuligobius Lachner & McKinney 1974 barbula, diminutive of barbus (L.), beard, i.e., a small barbel, referring to numerous barbels on head; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Barbuligobius boehlkei Lachner & McKinney 1974 in honor of American ichthyologist James E. Böhlke (1930–1982), Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, who collected some of the specimens

Bathygobius Bleeker 1878 bathýs (βαθύς), deep, allusion not explained nor evident (probably does not refer to water depth since Bleeker proposed genus for B. petrophilus, which he collected by hand from coral rocks); gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Bathygobius aeolosoma (Ogilby 1889) aeolo, from aiólos (αἰόλος), moving or swift; sṓma (σῶμα), body, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its darting under stones between tidemarks

Bathygobius andrei (Sauvage 1880) in honor of “André,” who collected holotype, probably French horticulturalist Édouard François André (1840–1911), who collected plants in South America, including Ecuador (type locality)

Bathygobius antilliensis Tornabene, Baldwin & Pezold 2010 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: islands of the Antilles, which constitute most of the known range of this goby and the region where it is most abundant

Bathygobius brasiliensis Carvalho-Filo & De Araújo 2017 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Brazil, where it is known only from the oceanic islands of Fernando de Noronha and Atol das Rocas

Bathygobius burtoni (O’Shaughnessy 1875) in honor of Capt. Richard Francis Burton (1821–1890), English explorer, geographer and diplomat, who collected holotype

Bathygobius casamancus (Rochebrune 1880) -us (L.), adjectival suffix: from Casamance River, Senegal, type locality

Bathygobius coalitus (Bennett 1832) Latin for united or grown together, presumably referring to its “subcontinuis” (almost touching) dorsal fins [italics in original]

Bathygobius cocosensis (Bleeker 1854) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Cocos (Keeling) Islands, eastern Indian Ocean, type locality (holotype now lost)

Bathygobius cotticeps (Steindachner 1879) Cottus, genus of sculpins (Cottidae); –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, presumably referring to its wide, sculpin-like head

Bathygobius curacao (Metzelaar 1919) named for Curaçao, Lesser Antilles, the island nation where many of Metzelaar’s specimens were collected

Bathygobius cyclopterus (Valenciennes 1837) cyclo-, from kýklos (κύκλος), ring or circle; pterus, from pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to its round ventral fins

Bathygobius fuscus (Rüppell 1830) Latin for dark or dusky, referring to its uniform liver-brown color in alcohol

Bathygobius geminatus Tornabene, Baldwin & Pezold 2010 Latin for paired, doubled or repeated, referring to diagnostic pattern of vertically paired spots that are repeated 6–7 times laterally along its body

Bathygobius hongkongensis Lam 1986 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Chung Hum Kok, Hong Kong, type locality

Bathygobius karachiensis Hoda & Goren 1990 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Karachi coast of Pakistan, type locality

Bathygobius krefftii (Steindachner 1866) patronym not identified but probably in honor of Johann Ludwig (Louis) Gerard Krefft (1830–1881), Australian zoologist and paleontologist (this goby is Australian) [although misspelled “kreftii” by Steindachner, “krefftii” is in prevailing usage and does not need to revert to the original spelling]

Bathygobius lacertus (Poey 1860) presumably am unnecessary masculinization of lacerta (L.), lizard; if so, allusion not explained nor evident

Bathygobius laddi (Fowler 1931) in honor of “Dr. H. L. Ladd,” who collected holotype and other fishes for the Bishop Museum (Honolulu); although Fowler consistently used the initials “H. L.,” probably named for geologist Harry Stephen Ladd (1899–1982), who went to Fiji (type locality) on a Bishop Museum fellowship in 1925

Bathygobius lineatus (Jenyns 1841) Latin for lined, referring to 10 “rather indistinct” (in spirits) longitudinal dark lines on body

Bathygobius meggitti (Hora & Mukerji 1936) in honor of parasitologist F. J. Meggitt, University College (Rangoon), who provided a collection of fishes from Tavoy District, Myanmar, including holotype of this one

Bathygobius mero Allen, Erdmann & Ichida 2024 named for the MERO Foundation (Indonesian Marine Education and Research Organisation), Tulamben, Bali, for their “generous” sponsorship of the authors’ study

Bathygobius mystacium Ginsburg 1947 presumably an unnecessary neuterization of mystaceus (L.), mustached, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to scattered dark blotches on cheek and jaws

Bathygobius niger (Smith 1960) Latin for dark or black, referring to “almost uniform blackish brown” color in life

Bathygobius panayensis (Jordan & Seale 1907) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Panay Island, Philippines, type locality

Bathygobius petrophilus (Bleeker 1853) rock-loving, from pétra (πέτρα), rock or stone, and phílos (φίλος), fond of, presumably referring to the coral rocks of Onrust Island, Indonesia, where Bleeker caught this goby by hand

Bathygobius ramosus Ginsburg 1947 Latin for branched, referring to “profusely” branched rays (usually the upper five) of pectoral fin

Bathygobius smithi Fricke 1999 in honor of J. L. B. Smith (1897-1968), South African ichthyologist-chemist, who described this goby in 1960 but used a name (Pyosicus niger) now secondarily preoccupied in Bathygobius by Gobius nigri Günther 1861

Bathygobius soporator (Valenciennes 1837) local name for this goby in Martinique (type locality), presumably from soporare (L.), to put to sleep, and presumed to be related or similar to the sleeper gobies of Eleotris and Dormitator (Eleotridae)

Benthophiloides Beling & Iljin 1927 -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: Benthophilus, to which it is presumed to be closely related

Benthophiloides brauneri Beling & Iljin 1927 in honor of Ukrainian zoologist Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Brauner (1857–1941), who first recorded this species from the Dnieper River in 1898 but misidentified it as Gobiosoma caspium due to their similar color patterns with dark banding

Benthophiloides turcomanus (Iljin 1941) -anus (L.), belonging to: Turkmenistan side of Caspian Sea, syntype locality

Benthophilus Eichwald 1831 bénthos (βένθος), depth (of the sea); phílos (φίλος), friend or fond of, presumably referring to occurrence of B. macrocephalus in bays of the Caspian Sea, moving into deeper water (20–25 m) during winter months

Benthophilus abdurahmanovi Ragimov 1978 in honor of Yusif A. Abdurakhmanov (1912–1977), “one of the leading” (translation) ichthyologists of Azerbaijan [note spelling of name, with an “h” instead of “k”

Benthophilus baeri Kessler 1877 in memory of Karl Ernst von Baer (1792–1876), Baltic-German scientist and explorer, who collected some of the type series, for his “great contributions to the natural-history study of the Caspian Sea” (translation)

Benthophilus casachicus Ragimov 1978 -icus (L.), belonging to: Latinization of Kazakh, i.e., Kazakhstan, off whose coast (Kazakh Bay, middle Caspian Sea) this species was discovered

Benthophilus ctenolepidus Kessler 1877 cteno-, from ktenós (κτενός), comb; lepidus, Latinization of lepídos (λεπίδος), genitive of lepίs (λεπίς), scale, presumably referring to bony tubercles or scutes on body, which resemble ctenoid scales

Benthophilus durrelli Boldyrev & Bogutskaya 2004 in honor of Gerald (here spelled Jerald) Durrell (1925–1995), the “famous English animal writer”

Benthophilus granulosus Kessler 1877 granum (L.), seed or grain; -osus (L.), suffix connoting fullness, referring to minute uniform granules densely covering body and head

Benthophilus grimmi Kessler 1877 in honor of Oscar von Grimm (1845– 1921), Russian ichthyologist and Chief Inspector of Russian fisheries, who collected holotype

Benthophilus kessleri Berg 1927 in honor of German-Russian zoologist Karl Fedorovich Kessler (1815–1881), proposed as a variety of B. grimmi, which Kessler described in 1877

Benthophilus leobergius Berg 1949 Latinization of Leo Berg, i.e., Soviet ichthyologist Lev (also Leo) Semyonovich Berg (1876–1950) [name proposed by Iljin (1949) but made available by Berg, who therefore became author of a name honoring himself]

Benthophilus leptocephalus Kessler 1877 leptós (λεπτός), thin or slender; cephalus, from kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, its width 2/3 of its length

Benthophilus leptorhynchus Kessler 1877 leptós (λεπτός), thin or slender; rhynchus, from rhýnchos (ῥύγχος), snout, referring to relatively long or elongate snout

Benthophilus macrocephalus (Pallas 1787) macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; cephalus, from kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to its large, sculpin-like head

Benthophilus magistri Iljin 1927 teacher, allusion not explained, but here is a guess (per Ronald Fricke, pers. comm.): in honor of Iljin’s teacher, Nikolai Mikhailovich Knipowitsch (1862–1939, often spelled Knipovich in English), Russian oceanographer and zoologist, whom Iljin had honored with the new genus Knipowitschia in the same paper

Benthophilus mahmudbejovi Ragimov 1976 in honor of Azerbajianian ichthyologist A. A. Mahmudbekov, who devoted his life to the study of the Caspian Sea (where this goby occurs)

Benthophilus nudus Berg 1898 Latin for bare or naked, proposed as a variety of B. macrocephalus in which sexually mature males lose their scales

Benthophilus persicus Kovačić, Esmaeili, Zarei, Abbasi & Schliewen 2021 -icus (L.), belonging to: Persia (ancient name of Iran), referring to the southern Caspian Sea of Iran, where it is endemic

Benthophilus pinchuki Ragimov 1982 in honor of ichthyologist Vitaly Iustinovich Pinchuk (1931–1992), USSR Academy of Sciences, who collaborated with Ragimov on the description of B. svetovidovi in 1979

Benthophilus ragimovi Boldyrev & Bogutskaya 2004 in honor of the late Dadash Ragimov (1932–2003, also spelled Rahimov), “well-known” ichthyologist and “expert” in Caspian gobiid fishes

Benthophilus spinosus Kessler 1877 Latin for thorny, referring to spiny tubercles on body

Benthophilus stellatus (Sauvage 1874) Latin for studded with stars, referring to stellate (star-shaped) tubercles on cheek

Benthophilus svetovidovi Pinchuk & Ragimov 1979 in honor of Soviet ichthyologist Anatolii Nikolaevich Svetovidov (1903–1985), for his significant contributions to the study of Caspian fishes

Birdsongichthys Tornabene, Manning, Robertson, Van Tassell & Baldwin 2022 in honor of American ichthyologist Ray S. Birdsong (1935–1995), who contributed “substantially” to the knowledge of the systematics of the family Gobiidae, especially taxa from the tropical western Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans; ichthýs (ἰχθύς), fish

Birdsongichthys rectus Tornabene, Manning, Robertson, Van Tassell & Baldwin 2022 Latin for straight, referring to the straight, unbranched rays of its pelvic fin

Bollmannia Jordan 1890 -ia (L. suffix), belonging to: Jordan’s late colleague, naturalist Charles Harvey Bollman (1868–1889), “whose untimely death while engaged in the exploration of the rivers of Georgia, took place while this paper was passing through the press” (Bollmann died of dysentery contracted while collecting fish in the swamps of Waycross, Georgia, USA) [not to be confused with Bollmania Silvestri 1896, a genus of millipedes, also named after Bollman]

Bollmannia boqueronensis Evermann & Marsh 1899 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Ensenada del Boqueron, Puerto Rico, type locality

Bollmannia chlamydes Jordan 1890 chlamýdes (χλαμύδης), cloaked, allusion not explained, possibly referring to its “very large” ctenoid scales

Bollmannia communis Ginsburg 1942 Latin for common, “evidently a common species” in the Gulf of Mexico between Padre Island, Texas, and the Mississippi Delta

Bollmannia eigenmannorum (Garman 1896) -orum (L.), commemorative suffix, plural: in honor of the “distinguished” ichthyologists Carl H. Eigenmann (1863–1927) and his wife Rosa (1858–1947), “who have added so much to our knowledge of the American Gobiidae” [originally spelled eigenmanni; emended spelling, since name honors more than one person, is technically forbidden by ICZN 32.5.1 but appears to be in prevailing usage]

Bollmannia gomezi Acero P. 1981 in honor of Venezuelan marine biologist Alfredo Gómez Gaspar, Acero’s professor and friend, who “stimulated” his interest in ichthyology

Bollmannia litura Ginsburg 1935 Latin for erasure, blot or blur, presumably referring to median series of five diffuse, very faint blotches, then believed to be unique to the genus (B. marginalis also has blotches)

Bollmannia macropoma Gilbert 1892 macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; pṓma (πῶμα), lid or cover, i.e., opercle, referring to its “conspicuously larger” opercle compared with B. ocellata

Bollmannia marginalis Ginsburg 1939 Medieval/Neo-Latin or marginal or on the edge, differing from all congeners known at the time in having a dorsal spot on margin of first dorsal fin

Bollmannia ocellata Gilbert 1892 Latin for having little eyes (ocelli), referring to black spot on first dorsal fin, “conspicuously ocellated with white”

Bollmannia stigmatura Gilbert 1892 stígma (στίγμα), mark or spot; ura, from ourá (οὐρά), tail, referring to roundish dusky spot at base of caudal fin

Bollmannia umbrosa Ginsburg 1939 Latin for shady, presumably referring to black blotch on first dorsal fin and/or black marginal band on upper lip

Bryaninops Smith 1959 ṓps (ὦψ), eye or face (i.e., appearance), “related” (and presumably similar) to Bryanina (=Sicyopterus, Oxudercidae)

Bryaninops amplus Larson 1985 Latin for of large extent, referring to larger maximum size compared with known congeners at the time

Bryaninops annella Suzuki & Randall 2014 named for the large sea fan Annella mollis, with which it is commensal

Bryaninops dianneae Larson 1985 in honor of Dianne Bray, Senior Collections Manager, Vertebrate Zoology, Museums Victoria (Australia), who collected holotype

Bryaninops discus Suzuki, Bogorodsky & Randall 2012 Latin for disc or circular plate, referring to flat pelvic fins of adults

Bryaninops earlei Suzuki & Randall 2014 in honor of John L. Earle, Association for Marine Exploration, who discovered this goby and collected holotype with Randall

Bryaninops erythrops (Jordan & Seale 1906) erythrós (ἐρυθρός), red; ṓps (ὦψ), eye, referring to rosy color around pupil

Bryaninops isis Larson 1985 named for Isis, host gorgonian for this species-specific goby

Bryaninops loki Larson 1985 named for the legendary Old Norse god Loki, who was a “rather enigmatic trickster,” presumably referring to its cryptic coloration, matching the gorgonian sea fans and whips on which it is most often found

Bryaninops natans Larson 1985 Latin for a swimmer (authors says swimming or floating), referring to its hovering behavior, in contrast to the clinging, cryptic habits of other congeners

Bryaninops nexus Larson 1987 Latin for a fastening or binding together (Larson says tied or bound together), referring to fused anterior and posterior nostrils, leaving an oval area with a raised rim

Bryaninops ridens Smith 1959 Latin for laughing or smiling, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to large mouth (illustration that accompanies description does appear to show this goby “smiling”)

Bryaninops spongicolus Suzuki, Bogorodsky & Randall 2012 spongia (L.), sponge; -cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, i.e., living commensally on a sponge

Bryaninops tectus Suzuki & Randall 2014 Latin for secret, hidden or disguised, referring to its being misidentified as B. loki

Bryaninops tigris Larson 1985 tígris (τίγρις), tiger, referring to brown and golden colors in life and its secretive behavior

Bryaninops translucens Suzuki & Randall 2014 Latin for clear, transparent or translucent, referring to its translucent coloration in life

Bryaninops yongei (Davis & Cohen 1969) in honor of British marine zoologist Maurice Yonge (1899–1986), the authors’ shipmate on cruise that collected holotype

Cabillus Smith 1959 etymology not explained nor evident (the FishBase claim that name is derived from the Dutch kabeljau, meaning codfish or a dish made of chopped-up cod, is nonsense)

Cabillus atripelvicus Randall, Sakamoto & Shibukawa 2007 ater (L.), black; pelvicus (L.), pelvic, referring to its “very dark” pelvic (ventral) fins

Cabillus caudimacula Greenfield & Randall 2004 cauda (L.), tail; macula (L.), spot, referring to prominent black blotch posteriorly on body and caudal-fin base

Cabillus lacertops Smith 1959 lacerta (L.), lizard; ṓps (ὦψ), eye or face (i.e., appearance), allusion not explained, presumably referring to what Smith perceived as a lizard-like appearance

Cabillus macrophthalmus (Weber 1909) macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; ophthalmós (ὀφθαλμός), eye, referring to its large eyes, which raise above the head profile and touch each other, their diameter 3.5 times in head length

Cabillus nigromarginatus Kovačić & Bogorodsky 2013 nigro-, from niger (L.), dark or black; marginatus (L.), edged or bordered, referring to color pattern of predorsal area and dorsal saddles

Cabillus nigrostigmus Kovačić & Bogorodsky 2013 nigro-, from niger (L.), dark or black; stigmus, from stígma (στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to distinctive black mark in lower posterior of first dorsal fin

Cabillus pexus Shibukawa & Aizawa 2013 Latin for combed (but used by authors as a noun, comb), referring to enlarged ctenii on a pair of scales at base of caudal fin

Cabillus tongarevae (Fowler 1927) of Tongareva (now called Penrhyn Island), northern Cook Islands, South Pacific, type locality

Cabillus wui Ba 2023 UNAVAILABLE; PUBLISHED ELECTRONICALLY WITHOUT ZOOBANK REGISTRATION AND TYPE STORAGE FACILITY NOT DISCLOSED in honor of trawler captain Junjie Wu, who collected holotype; he has “collected lots of other more quality living specimens and preserved specimens than have been expected for the research institutions and researchers nationwide, and has been being willing to do that for a long period”

Caffrogobius Smitt 1900 proposed as a subgenus of Gobius, etymology not explained, probably alluding to caffer, an inhabitant of the Eastern Cape of South Africa (historically known as Kaffraria), type locality of type species, C. nudiceps [see also C. caffer]

Caffrogobius agulhensis (Barnard 1927) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Agulhas Bank, off East London, South Africa, type locality

Caffrogobius caffer (Günther 1874) an inhabitant of the Eastern Cape of South Africa (historically known as Kaffraria), referring to type locality at Port Elizabeth (today “caffer” is a highly offensive term used by white South Africans to describe black South Africans, equivalent to the “n-word” in the United States)

Caffrogobius dubius (Smith 1959) Latin for doubtful or uncertain, presumably referring to Smith’s initial placement of it in Coryphopterus, a “doubtful ‘catch-all’ genus”

Caffrogobius gilchristi (Boulenger 1898) in honor of a Scottish-born South African ichthyologist John Dow Fisher Gilchrist (1866–1926), who discovered this goby and the dragonet Callionymus (now Paracallionymus) costatus

Caffrogobius natalensis (Günther 1874) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Port of Natal (now called Durban), South Africa, type locality

Caffrogobius nudiceps (Valenciennes 1837) nudus (L.), naked or bare; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to scaleless head, most of nape, and base of chest

Caffrogobius saldanha (Barnard 1927) named for Saldanha Bay, South Africa, type locality

Callogobius Bleeker 1874 callo-, from kállos (κάλλος), beauty, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to color of type species, C. hasseltii (reddish-green above, orange below, clouded with black, fins yellow) and/or lanceolate caudal fin; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Callogobius albipunctatus Akihito & Ikeda 2021 albus (L.), white; punctatus (L.), spotted, referring to many white small spots on body and fins

Callogobius amikami Goren, Miroz & Baranes 1991 in honor of Amikam Gorovitch (no other information available), who was killed in a diving accident in Eilat, Israel, type locality

Callogobius andamanensis Menon & Chatterjee 1974 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Middle Andaman Island, Andaman Sea, type locality

Callogobius aquilus Li & Chen 2024 unnecessary masculinization of aquila (L.), eagle, referring to its overall brownish coloration and enlarged, wing-like pectoral fins [apparently not to be confused with aquilus, a Latin adjective that means dark-colored or swarthy]

Callogobius bauchotae Goren 1979 in honor of Marie-Louise Bauchot (b. 1928), ichthyologist and assistant manager, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris), who co-sponsored Marshall Island expedition that collected holotype

Callogobius bifasciatus (Smith 1958) bi-, from bis (L.), twice; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to broad orange-brown bar below first dorsal fin, extending onto front of fin, and a second similar bar, more oblique, between second dorsal fin and hind part of anal fin, extending into basal front of dorsal and over hind part of anal

Callogobius bothriorrhynchus (Herzenstein 1896) bothrion, diminutive of bóthros (βόθρος), pit or trench; rhynchus, from rhýnchos (ῥύγχος), snout, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to visible pores on head

Callogobius centrolepis Weber 1909 centro, from kéntron (κέντρον), any sharp point and/or midpoint of a circle; lepís (λεπίς), scale, presumably referring to ctenoid scales at tail and posterior half of body, “with a few large spines [ctenii], [the scales] almost circular and with a central point, placed a little off-center, from which the channels [radii] radiate” (translation)

Callogobius clarki (Goren 1978) in honor of ichthyologist Eugenie Clark (1922–2015), University of Maryland, for her “outstanding” contributions to the knowledge of the fishes of the Red Sea (where this goby occurs) [preferably spelled clarkae since name honors a woman but ICZN 32.5.1 forbids such a correction]

Callogobius clitellus McKinney & Lachner 1978 from clitellae (L.), pack-saddle, referring to dark saddles and bars on head, trunk and fins

Callogobius crassus McKinney & Lachner 1984 Latin for thick, fat or stout, referring to its stout body

Callogobius depressus (Ramsay & Ogilby 1886) Latin for pressed down, referring to its “very much depressed” head

Callogobius dori Goren 1980 in honor of Menachem Dor (1901–1998), zoologist and Hebrew scholar, for his contribution to the knowledge of fishes of the Red Sea, where this goby occurs

Callogobius dorsomaculatus Akihito & Ikeda 2021 dorso-, from dorsalis (L.), of the back; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to dark blotch on first dorsal fin

Callogobius falx Fujiwara, Suzuki & Motomura 2021 Latin for sickle, referring to narrow, black, sickle-like bar on caudal-fin base

Callogobius flavobrunneus (Smith 1958) flavus (L.), yellow; brunneus (Medieval Latin), brown, referring to olive to yellow-brown color in life, with distally yellow dorsal fins, yellowish pectoral and yellow throat

Callogobius hasseltii (Bleeker 1851) in honor of Dutch physician and biologist Johan Coenraad van Hasselt (1797–1823), who explored the colonial Dutch East Indies with his friend Heinrich Kuhl in 1820; Bleeker described this goby based on their illustration

Callogobius hastatus McKinney & Lachner 1978 Latin for armed with a spear, referring to elongate, spear-shaped caudal fin

Callogobius illotus (Herre 1927) Latin for dirty, “papillae on head are dark or blackish, giving the appearance of adhering dirt or trash”

Callogobius irrasus (Smith 1959) Latin for unshaved, probably referring to “many papillate ridges” on head

Callogobius kuderi (Herre 1943) in honor of Edward M. Kuder, Division Superintendent of Schools in the Philippines, whose “generous cooperation” made possible Herre’s visit to a group of small isles west of Jolo, Sulu Province, type locality

Callogobius maculipinnis (Fowler 1918) macula (L.), spot; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned referring to dark-colored fins with whitish bars or spots

Callogobius mannarensis Rangarajan 1970 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Gulf of Mannar, southern India, type locality

Callogobius mucosus (Günther 1872) Latin for slimy, referring to “thick mucous covering, which envelopes all parts and forms on the snout and sides of the head”

Callogobius nigromarginatus Chen & Shao 2000 nigro-, from niger (L.), dark or black; marginatus (L.), edged or bordered, referring to blackish stripe at outer margin of anal and caudal fins

Callogobius okinawae (Snyder 1908) of Okinawa Island, Japan, type locality

Callogobius pilosimentum Delventhal, Mooi, Bogorodsky & Mal 2016 pilosus, hairy; mentum, chin, referring to extra rows of papillae on chin

Callogobius plumatus (Smith 1959) Latin for plumed or covered with feathers, allusion not explained nor evident

Callogobius productus (Herre 1927) Latin for lengthened or prolonged, referring to “long-drawn-out body, caudal, and pectoral”

Callogobius santa (Herre 1935) Latinization of Santo, referring to the island, Espiritu Santo (commonly called Santo), Vanuatu, type locality

Callogobius sclateri (Steindachner 1879) eponym not identified, perhaps in honor of British lawyer and ornithologist Philip L. Sclater (1829–1913), Secretary of the Zoological Society of London and a pioneer in zoogeography

Callogobius seshaiyai Jacob & Rangarajan 1960 in honor of Rebala Venkata Seshaiya (1898–1973), Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology (Annamalai University, Porto Novo, India), “in appreciation of his devotion to zoology”

Callogobius sheni Chen, Chen & Fang 2006 in honor of Shih (or Shieh)-Chieh Shen, National Taiwan University, for his “great” contribution to ichthyology in Taiwan, where this goby occurs

Callogobius shunkan (Takagi 1957) named for Shunkan Sôzu (1142–1179), a Buddhist sub-bishop and a tragic hero in Japanese historical literature [presumably a noun in apposition, without the genitive “i”]

Callogobius snelliusi Koumans 1953 in honor of the Dutch hydrographic research vessel Snellius, which collected type

Callogobius snyderi (Fowler 1946) in honor of the late John Otterbein Snyder (1867–1943), American ichthyologist, for his papers on Riu Kiu (Ryukyu, Japan) fishes

Callogobius stellatus McKinney & Lachner 1978 Latin for starry or studded with stars, allusion not explained, possibly referring to four, dark narrow stripes radiating from eye, which create a vaguely star-like pattern

Callogobius swifti Allen, Erdmann & Brooks 2020 in honor of John Swift, for his “lifelong passion for grassroots conservation in New Guinea as a Board Member of Conservation International and an unflagging patron of the local environmental organization Eco Custodian Advocates in their critical efforts to promote customary marine management across the Milne Bay communities where this new species was discovered”

Callogobius tanegasimae (Snyder 1908) of Tanegashima, Osumi Islands, Japan, type locality [note spelling, without “h”]

Callogobius trifasciatus Menon & Chatterjee 1976 tri– (L.), three; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to three distinct, darker and broad transverse bands, below first dorsal fin, below hinder part of second dorsal fin, and at caudal peduncle

Callogobius tutuilae (Jordan & Seale 1906) of Pago Pago, Tutuila Island, American Samoa, type locality

Callogobius vanclevei (Herre 1950) in honor of Richard Van Cleve (1906–1984), Acting Director of the University of Washington School of Fisheries, where holotype is housed

Callogobius williamsi Delventhal & Mooi 2023 in honor of ichthyologist Jeffrey T. Williams, U. S. National Museum of Natural History (Washington, D.C.), who collected the holotype and recognized it as a new species

Callogobius winterbottomi Delventhal & Mooi 2013 in honor of Zambian-born Canadian ichthyologist Richard Winterbottom (b. 1944), Royal Ontario Museum, who helped collect type; in addition, he has “made substantial contributions to the systematics of gobies and other Indo-Pacific fishes, and to the development of both authors’ respective careers”

Carrigobius Van Tassell, Tornabene & Gilmore 2016 Carrie, named for Carrie-Bow Cay, Belize, home of the Smithsonian Institution’s field station, where many specimens of C. amblyrhynchus were collected; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Carrigobius amblyrhynchus (Smith & Baldwin 1999) amblýs (ἀμβλύς), blunt; rhynchus, from rhýnchos (ῥύγχος), snout, referring to blunt anterior profile of head

Caspiosoma Iljin 1927 Caspio-, referring to occurrence in the Caspian Sea; -soma, abridgement of Gobiosoma, referring to previous placement of C. caspium in that genus

Caspiosoma caspium (Kessler 1877) Latin (neuter) for Caspian, referring to the Caspian Sea, type locality

Cerogobius Kovačić, Bogorodsky, Troyer & Tornabene 2019 cero, from kerás (κεράς), horn, referring to horn-like tentacle on head; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Cerogobius petrophilus Kovačić, Bogorodsky, Troyer & Tornabene 2019 rock-loving, from pétra (πέτρα), rock or stone, and phílos (φίλος), fond of, referring to its rocky habitat (rubble-sand patches at base of isolated coral blocks)

Chriolepis Gilbert 1892 chrio, from chreía (χρεία), want or need; lepís (λεπίς), scale, referring to absence of scales on C. minutilla

Chriolepis cuneata Bussing 1990 Latin for wedge-shaped, referring to five dark, narrow crossbars on body, usually vertical, typically expanded dorsally, especially on dorsal midline, giving a saddle-like appearance to each

Chriolepis dialepta Bussing 1990 diáleptos (διάλεπτος), very small, narrow or refined, but Bussing says it means distinguishable, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to several unique pale spots on cheek and opercle, which distinguish it from the geminate C. lepidota [probably a coincidence, but name is almost an anagram of lepidota]

Chriolepis fisheri Herre 1942 in honor of American biologist Walter K. Fisher (1878–1953), director, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, who collected holotype

Chriolepis lepidota Findley 1975 from lepidōtós (λεπιδωτός), scaly, referring to its more extensive squamation compared with congeners in the eastern tropical Pacific known at the time

Chriolepis minutilla Gilbert 1892 diminutive of minuta (L.), small, i.e., very small, holotype described at 2.54 cm

Chriolepis roosevelti (Ginsburg 1939) in honor of Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945), President of the United States (1933–1945)

Chriolepis semisquamata (Rutter 1904) semi-, from semis (L.), a half or moiety; squamata (L.), scaled, referring to scaleless body anteriorly, scaled behind origin of second dorsal fin and tip of depressed pectoral fins

Chriolepis tagus Ginsburg 1953 named for Tagus Cove, Albemarle Island, Galápagos Islands, type locality

Chriolepis zebra Ginsburg 1938 named for its “striking, sharply marked” banded color pattern, like that of a zebra

Chromogobius de Buen 1930 chrṓma (χρῶμα), color, presumably referring to two color varieties of C. quadrivittatus; Gobius, proposed as a subgenus of this genus

Chromogobius britoi Van Tassell 2001 in honor of marine biologist Alberto Brito Hernández (b. 1954), University of Laguna (Tenerife, Canary Islands), for numerous contributions to the study of fishes of the Canary Islands

Chromogobius quadrivittatus (Steindachner 1863) quadri-, from quattuor (L.), four; vittatus (L.), banded, presumably referring to four white transverse bands across back and upper part of body; per Steindachner’s more-detailed redescription in 1868, the first band is narrow and immediately behind eyes, the second (widest) band extends from posterior of head almost to spine of first dorsal fin, the third band falls between the dorsal fins, and the fourth (smallest, blotch-like) band is just behind center of second dorsal

Chromogobius zebratus (Kolombatović 1891) scientific Neo-Latin for zebra-like, presumably referring to five conspicuous pale saddles across back, like the stripes of a zebra

Corcyrogobius Miller 1972 derived from Corcyra Negra, Roman name for Korčula, a Croation island in the Adriatic Sea, type locality of C. liechtensteini; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Corcyrogobius liechtensteini (Kolombatović 1891) in honor of Johann Maria Franz Placidus (1840–1929), Prince Johann II of Liechtenstein, for his support of the natural sciences

Corcyrogobius lubbocki Miller 1988 in honor of the late Hugh Roger Lubbock (1951–1981), English marine biologist, who collected holotype, for his work on gobioid systematics [he died in a car crash in Rio de Janeiro just shy of his 30th birthday]

Corcyrogobius pulcher Kovačić, Wirtz & Schliewen 2020 Latin for beautiful, referring to appearance of females (males not yet collected) in life (M. Kovačić, pers. comm.)

Coryogalops Smith 1958 etymology not explained nor evident, perhaps cory, from kórys (κόρυς), helmet or head covering, and ṓps (ὦψ), eye, referring to “dorsal, virtually contiguous” eyes of C. anomolus, i.e., the eyes “cover” the head; the meaning of -ogal, if any, is unknown (perhaps inserted for euphony)

Coryogalops adamsoni (Goren 1985) in honor of Thomas A. Adamson, formerly of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, for his “genuine” interest in Indo-West Pacific fishes and his “valuable” contributions to ichthyology

Coryogalops anomolus Smith 1958 anṓmalos (ἀνώμᾰλος), unusual, irregular or different, etymology not explained nor evident

Coryogalops bretti Goren 1991 in honor of Gregg Brett (East London Museum, South Africa), who helped collect holotype

Coryogalops bulejiensis (Hoda 1983) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Buleji, Karachi coast, Pakistan, type locality

Coryogalops guttatus Kovačić & Bogorodsky 2014 Latin for spotted, referring to distinctive orange spot on many longitudinal row scales on lower part of body of living and freshly dead specimens

Coryogalops monospilus Randall 1994 mono-, from mónos (μόνος), one or single; spilus, from spílos (σπίλος), mark or spot, referring to black spot on first dorsal fin, its most conspicuous color marking

Coryogalops nanus Kovačić & Bogorodsky 2016 Latin for small or dwarf, referring to its small size (up to 15.2 mm SL) compared with congeners

Coryogalops ocheticus (Norman 1927) Latinized adjective from okhetós (ὀχετός), aqueduct or conduit, referring to Suez Canal, type locality

Coryogalops pseudomonospilus Kovačić & Bogorodsky 2014 pseudo-, from pseúdēs (ψεύδης), false, i.e., although similar in coloration to C. monospilus, such an appearance is false

Coryogalops sordidus (Smith 1959) Latin for dirty, presumably referring to coloration, “brownish, irregularly speckled dark, fins mottled dusky, dark spot on upper part of pectoral base, pelvics dusky”

Coryogalops tessellatus Randall 1994 Latin for tessellated, i.e., inlaid with small square stones, referring to checkered color pattern on ventral half of body

Coryogalops william (Smith 1948) etymology not explained; according to Mike Bruton’s 2018 biography of J.L.B. and Margaret Smith, in honor of their son William (1939–2024, a popular television science and mathematics teacher in South Africa), who collected holotype at age 12 [presumably a noun in apposition, without the genitive “i”]

Coryphopterus Gill 1863 corypho-, koryphḗ (κορυφή), top of head, crown, top or highest point; pterus, from pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “distinct” dorsal fins of C. glaucofraenum: “the first with six spines, all flexible, the third generally longest …”

Coryphopterus alloides Böhlke & Robins 1960 -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: állos (ἄλλος), other, i.e., of different form, referring to ventral fins entirely separate, without a trace of frenum between the spines and a very reduced membrane between the innermost rays

Coryphopterus curasub Baldwin & Robertson 2015 named for the manned submersible Curasub (which collected holotype), owned and operated by Substation Curaçao, for its contributions to increasing our knowledge of the Caribbean deep-reef fish fauna

Coryphopterus dicrus Böhlke & Robins 1960 from díkros (δίκρος), forked (authors say cloven), referring to its partially split ventral disc

Coryphopterus eidolon Böhlke & Robins 1960 eídōlon (εἴδωλον), phantom or apparition, referring to its lack of pigmentation

Coryphopterus glaucofraenum Gill 1863 glaucus, from glaukós (γλαυκός), bluish-green or gray, sea-colored, or hoary blue; fraenum (L.), bridle, referring to a straight blue line crossing cheek, continuing, after interruption, to operculum

Coryphopterus hyalinus Böhlke & Robins 1962 hyálinos (ὑάλινος), of crystal (here meaning glassy or transparent), referring to its transparent nature

Coryphopterus kuna Victor 2007 named for the Kuna indigenous people of the Kuna Yala, region of Atlantic Panama where holotype was collected, for their cooperation in marine biological research

Coryphopterus lipernes Böhlke & Robins 1962 lipernḗs (λῐπερνής), outcast, referring to its solitary habits, living on and about coral, apparently not gathering in school like C. personatus

Coryphopterus personatus (Jordan & Thompson 1905) Latin for masked, referring to dark snout, upper lip and region just below eye; this area extends behind upper and lower posterior quadrants of eye to suggest a mask

Coryphopterus punctipectophorus Springer 1960 punctum (L.), spot; pecto-, from pectoralis (L.), pectoral; phorus, from phoreús (φορεύς), bearer or carrier, referring to spot on base of pectoral fin

Coryphopterus thrix Böhlke & Robins 1960 Greek (θρίξ) for hair or ray, referring to filamentous second spine of dorsal fin

Coryphopterus tortugae (Jordan 1904) of Garden Key, Dry Tortugas, Florida, USA, type locality

Coryphopterus urospilus Ginsburg 1938 uro, from ourá (οὐρά), tail; spiluss, from spílos (σπίλος), mark or spot, referring to “sharply marked” and very dark spot on base of caudal fin

Coryphopterus venezuelae Cervigón 1966 of Venezuela, where type locality (Laguna Grande, Gulf of Cariaco) is situated

Cristatogobius Herre 1927 cristatus (L.), crested, referring to high, thin and skinny crest on nape of C. lophius; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Cristatogobius albius Chen 1959 variant spelling of albus (L.), white, referring to its uniformly gray color in formalin, without any markings on the sides

Cristatogobius aurimaculatus Akihito & Meguro 2000 aureus (L.), golden; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to yellow spots on dorsal and caudal fins

Cristatogobius lophius Herre 1927 Neo-Latin adjective derived from lóphos (λόφος), mane or crest, i.e., crested, referring to high, thin and skinny crest on nape

Cristatogobius nonatoae (Ablan 1940) in honor of Susana G. Nonato, Ablan’s wife, who collected holotype

Cristatogobius rubripectoralis Akihito, Meguro & Sakamoto 2003 rubrus, red; pectoralis, pectoral, referring to red area on middle to lower part of pectoral fins

Croilia Smith 1955 -ia (L. suffix), belonging to: John Frederick Croil Morgans, research assistant, Zoology Department, University of Cape Town (South Africa), who collected holotype; he “observed these agile small creatures while diving, and it was only with great difficulty that he caught them, for they live in burrows in the bottom, to which they retire when startled”

Croilia mossambica Smith 1955 -ica (L.), belonging to: southern Mozambique, where it occurs in saline coastal lakes

Cryptocentroides Popta 1922 -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: Cryptocentrus, which it resembles but differs in lower number of lateral-line scales, sometimes having only ctenoid (rather than both ctenoid and cycloid) scales, and a shorter caudal fin

Cryptocentroides arabicus (Gmelin 1789) -icus (L.), belonging to: described from the Red Sea of Saudi Arabia (no types known)

Cryptocentroides gobioides (Ogilby 1886) -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: named for its “very strong dentition and the obliquity of its mouth, which gives it a strong outward resemblance” to Gobioides (Oxudercidae)

Cryptocentroides insignis (Seale 1910) Latin for distinguished by marks, referring to its “very striking and characteristic” color markings (oblique bands of brown alternating with yellowish on posterior half of body and eight large, dark spots along back)

Cryptocentrus Valenciennes 1837 presumably tautonymous with Gobius cryptocentrus Valenciennes 1837 [proposed in synonymy of Gobius but made available by subsequent authors]

Cryptocentrus albidorsus (Yanagisawa 1978) albus (L.). white; dorsus, unnecessary masculinization of dorsum (L.), the back, referring to broad white band running from tip of mouth and snout to caudal peduncle along upper third of body

Cryptocentrus altipinna Hoese 2019 altus (L.), high or deep; pinna (L.), fin, referring to very high first dorsal fin

Cryptocentrus aureostriatus Chen, Liao & Shao 2025 aureus (L.), golden; striatus (L.), furrowed or grooved (i.e., striped), referring to several parallel golden stripes on head

Cryptocentrus bulbiceps (Whitley 1953) bulbus, from bolbós (βολβός), bulb; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to bulging cheeks and chin

Cryptocentrus caeruleomaculatus (Herre 1933) caeruleus (L.), dark blue (but used here to mean blue in general); maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to small “pearl blue” spots scattered over body

Cryptocentrus caeruleopunctatus (Rüppell 1830) caeruleus (L.), dark blue (but used here to mean blue in general); punctatus (L.), spotted, referring to blue spots on body and anal fin

Cryptocentrus callopterus Smith 1945 callo-, from kállos (κάλλος), beauty; pterus, from pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, a “strikingly beautiful” goby with jet-black ocellus ringed by white and blue on pale-orange first dorsal fin; orange spots surrounded by pale yellow on second dorsal fin; brown margin and brown longitudinal line near base of anal fin; pastel tints of brown, blue and yellow in lengthwise bands on caudal fin; purplish-black ventral fins; and hyaline pectoral fins

Cryptocentrus cebuanus Herre 1927 -anus (L.), belonging to Cebu Island, Philippines, type locality

Cryptocentrus cinctus (Herre 1936) Latin for belted or girdled, presumably referring to three blackish crossbands on dusky brown body

Cryptocentrus cryptocentrus (Valenciennes 1837) crypto-, from kryptόs (κρυπτός), hidden; centrus, from kéntron (κέντρον), any sharp point, referring to a concealed point or projection on preopercle

Cryptocentrus cyanospilotus Allen & Randall 2011 cyano-, from kýanos (κύανος), dark blue (but here meaning blue in general); spilotus, from spilōtós (σπιλωτός), marked or stained, referring to blue spots on cheek, operculum, and body of both sexes

Cryptocentrus cyanotaenia (Bleeker 1853) cyano-, from kýanos (κύανος), dark blue (but here meaning blue in general); taenia (L.), from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to numerous short blue oblique lines on head and base of pectoral fin

Cryptocentrus diproctotaenia Bleeker 1876 di-, from dýo (δύο), two; procto-, from prōktós (πρωκτός), anus; taenia (L.), from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to two yellow or pink longitudinal stripes on anal fin

Cryptocentrus epakros Allen 2015 épakros (ἔπακρος), pointed at the end, referring to diagnostic shape of anal fin, consisting of elongated seventh and eighth fin rays that result in a conspicuous pointed posterior fin profile

Cryptocentrus fasciatus (Playfair 1867) Latin for banded, referring to four darker cross bands on brownish-red body

Cryptocentrus flavus Yanagisawa 1978 Latin for yellow, referring to yellow body color with yellow or yellowish fins

Cryptocentrus geniornatus Herre 1935 géneion (γένειον), chin; ornatus (L.), decorated, referring to small, circular, pearly white spots sprinkled on sides of head

Cryptocentrus inexplicatus (Herre 1934) Latin for unexplained, referring to the unknown function of its vomerine teeth

Cryptocentrus insignitus (Whitley 1956) Latin for marked, referring to conspicuous black ocellus on first dorsal fin

Cryptocentrus leonis Smith 1931 genitive singular of leo (L.), lion, referring to type locality, estuary of Chantabun River at Lem Sing (Lion Point), southeastern Thailand

Cryptocentrus leptocephalus Bleeker 1876 leptós (λεπτός), thin or slender; cephalus, from kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to much narrower head compared with C. diproctotaenia and C. liolepis, described in the same paper

Cryptocentrus leucostictus (Günther 1872) white-spotted, from leukós (λευκός), white, and stiktós (στικτός), marked or spotted, referring to small, round, whitish spots and dots covering lower parts of body

Cryptocentrus liolepis Bleeker 1876 leī́os (λεῖος) smooth; lepίs (λεπίς), scale, presumably referring to cycloid scales on head and sides

Cryptocentrus lutheri Klausewitz 1960 in honor of Russian-born German biologist Wolfgang Luther (1903–1967), Zoologischen Institut der Technischen Hochschule (Darmstadt), for his studies of the symbiotic relationship between crabs and gobies

Cryptocentrus malindiensis (Smith 1959) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Malindi, Kenya, western Indian Ocean, type locality

Cryptocentrus maudae Fowler 1937 in honor of Maude de Schauensee (b. 1937), newborn daughter of ornithologist Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee and his wife Williamina, to whom the Academy of Natural Sciences (Philadelphia) is “again grateful” for the “elaborate gift” of fishes from Thailand, including holotype of this one

Cryptocentrus melanopus (Bleeker 1860) mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; poús (πούς), foot (homologous to the ventral fins), referring to black tip on ventral fins

Cryptocentrus multicinctus Allen & Randall 2011 multi– (L.), many; cinctus (L.), belted or girdled (but use here as a noun), referring to its diagnostic barred color pattern, most evident in the female

Cryptocentrus nanus Greenfield & Allen 2018 Latin for dwarf (adjective), referring to its small size (17.2–23.4 mm SL) compared with congeners

Cryptocentrus nigrocellatus (Yanagisawa 1978) nigro-, from niger (L.), dark or black; ocellatus (L.), having little eyes (ocelli), referring to large black ocellus bordered in white on center of opercle

Cryptocentrus niveatus (Valenciennes 1837) scientific Neo-Latin from niveus (L.), snowy, referring to cheeks, operculum, shoulder, belly, and underside of tail “sown with tight white dots” (translation)

Cryptocentrus pavoninoides (Bleeker 1849) -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: pavo (L.), peacock, allusion not explained, possibly referring to blue-white spots on head, somewhat reminiscent of the blue spots on peacock feathers

Cryptocentrus pretiosus (Rendahl 1924) Latin for of great value, probably referring to “shiny silver pearl spots” (translation) on head, gill membrane, body, and basal part of pectoral fins (the pearl spots reminding Rendahl of precious jewels)

Cryptocentrus sericus Herre 1932 serikos, Latin for silken, made of silk, or Chinese, from Seres, Chinese people from whom the ancient Greeks and Romans obtained silk, referring to fish market in Canton (now Guangzhou, Guangdong Province), type locality

Cryptocentrus shigensis Kuroda 1956 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Shige beach, Numazu Cityxs, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, type locality

Cryptocentrus steinhardti Goren & Stern 2021 in honor of American investor and philanthropist Michael H. Steinhardt (b. 1940), for his “immensely important” contribution to the establishment and construction of the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History at Tel Aviv University, Israel

Cryptocentrus strigilliceps (Jordan & Seale 1906) strigilla, full of striga (L.), furrow or groove (i.e., stripe or streak); –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to minute filaments and pores on head, arranged in straight lines and running in various directions

Cryptocentrus taiwanensis Chen & Yang 2024 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: coastal waters of New Taipei City, Taiwan, type locality

Cryptocentrus tentaculatus Hoese & Larson 2004 Latin for with feelers (i.e., small tentacles), referring to distinctive tentacle on dorsal surface of eye

Cryptocentrus venustus Seale 1914 Latin for pleasing or beautiful, allusion not explained, presumably referring to its coloration\

Cryptocentrus wehrlei Fowler 1937 in honor of the late Richard W. Wehrle (1852–1937, Indiana, Pennsylvania, USA), jeweler and naturalist, who obtained many collections of fishes for the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia

Cryptocentrus yatsui Tomiyama 1936 in honor of zoologist Naohide Yatsu (1877–1947), Tokyo Imperial University

Cryptopsilotris Van Tassell, Tornabene & Gilmore 2016 crypto-, from kryptόs (κρυπτός), hidden, referring to C. batrachodes previously classified (i.e., hidden) in the genus Psilotris

Cryptopsilotris batrachodes (Böhlke 1963) -odes, alternative spelling of -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: referring to its resemblance to batrachoid fishes

Ctenogobiops Smith 1959 ṓps (ὦψ), eye or face (i.e., appearance), “[c]losely related” (and presumably similar) to Ctenogobius (Oxudercidae)

Ctenogobiops aurocingulus (Herre 1935) auro-, from aurum (L.), gold; cingulus (L.), belt or band, referring to three diagonal rows of short golden bars or spots, extending downward and forward from nape

Ctenogobiops crocineus Smith 1959 Neo-Latin adjective derived from krókos (κρόκος), saffron, allusion not explained, described as yellowish in spirits

Ctenogobiops feroculus Lubbock & Polunin 1977 Latin for rather fierce, referring to “intraspecific agonistic encounters observed in the field”

Ctenogobiops formosa Randall, Shao & Chen 2003 named for Formosa, or Taiwan, where it appears to be endemic

Ctenogobiops maculosus (Fourmanoir 1955) Latin for spotted, referring to four longitudinal rows of dark brown spots on body, head and/or four steeply oblique rows of dashes and spots on postorbital head

Ctenogobiops mitodes Randall, Shao & Chen 2007 -odes, alternative spelling of -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: mítos (μίτος), thread of the warp (i.e., thread-like), preferring to filamentous second dorsal fin of adults

Ctenogobiops pomastictus Lubbock & Polunin 1977 pṓma (πῶμα), lid or cover, i.e., operculum; stictus, from stiktós (στικτός), marked or spotted, referring to 11 spots on upper margin of operculum

Ctenogobiops tangaroai Lubbock & Polunin 1977 of Tangaroa, a powerful Polynesian deity, god of the sea, alluding to American Samoa, type locality

Ctenogobiops tongaensis Randall, Shao & Chen 2003 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Tonga, off the inner harbor dock of the Paradise International Hotel (Neiafu, Vava’u), type locality

Didogobius Miller 1966 Dido, an ancient queen of Tyre, who sailed the eastern Mediterranean (where D. bentuvii occurs) to found the city of Carthage; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Didogobius bentuvii Miller 1966 in honor of Adam Ben-Tuvia (1919–1999), Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who collected holotype and made many valuable contributions to Mediterranean ichthyology

Didogobius kochi Van Tassell 1988 in honor of Rudolf Koch, who ran a dive shop on the south shore of Gran Canaria; he took Van Tassell diving, filled his tanks and repaired equipment problems (all for no charge), and whose knowledge of underwater habitats led to the discovery of new species and range extensions for gobioid fishes in the Canary Islands (J. L. Van Tassell, pers. comm.)

Didogobius lanceolatus Schliewen, Knorrn & Böhmer 2023 Latin for “with a little lance,” from lanceola, diminutive of lancea (L.), lance or spear, referring to its lancet-shaped caudal fin

Didogobius schlieweni Miller 1993 in honor of German ichthyologist Ulrich Schliewen, Zoologische Staatssammlung München, who collected holotype and suggested the common name Andromeda Goby because of its nebula-like pattern of light and dark markings

Discordipinna Hoese & Fourmanoir 1978 discordis, genitive singular of discors (L.), discordant; pinna (L.), fin, referring to “peculiar” placement of first dorsal fin (originating over posterior end of operculum, widely separated from second dorsal fin) and elongated rays of first dorsal and pectoral fins of D. griessingeri

Discordipinna filamentosa Chen, Suzuki & Shao 2012 Latin for filamentous, referring to thread-like elongation of anterior two spinous rays of first dorsal fin

Discordipinna griessingeri Hoese & Fourmanoir 1978 in honor of J. M. (not S. as stated in description) Griessinger, then based at the Centre Océanologique du Pacifique (Vairao, Tahiti) and member of expedition to the Gambier Archipelago, where he collected a paratype (D. F. Hoese, pers. comm.)

Discordipinna vibrissa Allen & Erdmann 2024 Latin for whisker, referring to its whisker-like enlarged cephalic sensory-papilla tentacles

Dotsugobius Shibukawa, Suzuki & Senou 2014 Dotsu, named for Yoshie Dotsu (spelled “Dôtu” in his early publications), Nagasaki University (Japan), supervisor of the second author, for his “great” contribution to our knowledge about early-life history and taxonomy of Japanese fishes, particularly the gobies; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Dotsugobius bleekeri (Popta 1921) in honor of Pieter Bleeker (1819– 1878), the “outstanding” (translation) ichthyologist of the Dutch East Indies

Drombus Jordan & Seale 1905 etymology not explained; presumably not a local Filipino name for D. palackyi since Jordan used the same word for a Hawaiian frogfish, Antennarius drombus, in 1903

Drombus bontii (Bleeker 1849) eponym not identified, probably in honor of Jacobus Bontius (Jacob de Bondt, 1592–1631), Dutch physician and pioneer of tropical medicine, whose 1631 Historiae naturalis et medicae Indiae orientalis was cited by Bleeker several times in other works

Drombus dentifer (Hora 1923) dentis, genitive of dens (L.), tooth; -ifer, from fera (L.), to have or bear, referring to its well-developed canine-like teeth

Drombus flavimentus Allen & Erdmann 2024 flavus (L.), yellow; mentus, unnecessary masculinization of mentum (L.), chin, referring to its bright-yellow chin and adjacent parts of body

Drombus globiceps (Hora 1923) globus (L.), globe or sphere; -ceps (Neo- Latin), headed, referring to its “almost globular” head

Drombus halei Whitley 1935 in honor of Herbert M. Hale (1895–1963), Director of the South Australian Museum

Drombus key (Smith 1947) etymology not explained, perhaps key, from the Spanish cay, a ridge of small rocks or islands in the sea, referring to Inhaca Island, Mozambique, type locality, or perhaps in honor a member of Smith’s staff or a Portuguese East Africa authority who assisted Smith during the June-July 1946 expedition that collected type (Smith named several new species in the same paper in honor of these individuals, but “Key” is not included in his acknowledgment)

Drombus lepidothorax Whitley 1945 lepídos (λεπίδος), genitive of lepίs (λεπίς), scale; thṓrax (θώραξ), breast or chest, proposed as a subspecies of D. halei with a scaly (vs. scaleless) breast and lower pectoral-fin base

Drombus ocyurus (Jordan & Seale 1907) ocy, from okýs (ὠκύς), swift or fast; urus, from ourá (οὐρά), tail, allusion not explained, presumably referring to its “long, sharp-pointed” caudal fin

Drombus oligactis (Bleeker 1875) olígos (ὀλίγος), few or scanty; aktís (ἀκτίς), ray, presumably referring to fewer pectoral-fin rays (15–16 vs. 18) and/or caudal-fin rays (22 vs. 31) compared with Acentrogobius leptochilus (=Redigobius tambujon, Oxudercidae), its presumed congener at the time

Drombus palackyi Jordan & Seale 1905 in honor of Czech geographer and biogeographer Jan Palacký (1830–1908), author of Die Verbreitung der Fische (1895), a work containing a list of the fishes of the Philippines, where only known specimen was collected

Drombus rubropunctatus Chen & Li 2024 rubro-, from ruber (L.), red; punctatus (L.), spotted, referring to rows of red spots on lower half of body

Drombus simulus (Smith 1960) Latin for somewhat pug-nosed, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its “fairly depressed” head

Drombus triangularis (Weber 1909) Latin for triangular, presumably referring to the white triangular spot at upper edge of pectoral-fin base

Drombus vexillifer (Fowler 1937) vexillum (L.), banner or flag (i.e., dorsal fin); -ifer, from fera (L.), to have or bear, referring to extended spines on first dorsal fin

Ebomegobius Herre 1946 Ebomé, brackish stream at Kribi, Cameroon, type locality of E. goodi; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Ebomegobius goodi Herre 1946 in honor of American Presbyterian missionary Albert Irwin Good (1884–1975), an “ardent collector of West African fishes,” who collected holotype

Echinogobius Iwata, Hosoya & Niimura 1998 echī́nos (ἐχῖνος), hedgehog, sea-urchin or, metaphorically, having sharp points (i.e., prickly), referring to hard first spines of both dorsal fins; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Echinogobius hayashii Iwata, Hosoya & Niimura 1998 in honor of Masayoshi Hayashi, Curator, Yokosuka City Museum, who collected the first specimens and gave it its Japanese name (Moyoushinobi-haze)

Egglestonichthys Miller & Wongrat 1979 named for fisheries scientist David Eggleston, who collected holotype of D. patriciae and provided Miller with an “invaluable store of gobioid material taken during fisheries research in Hong Kong”; ichthýs (ἰχθύς), fish

Egglestonichthys bombylios Larson & Hoese 1997 Greek (βομβυλιός) for bumble bee, referring to its banded color pattern

Egglestonichthys fulmen Fujiwara, Suzuki & Motomura 2020 Latin for a stroke of lightning, referring to bright-yellow zigzag pattern on upper body

Egglestonichthys melanoptera (Visweswara Rao 1971) mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; ptera, from pterón (πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), wing or fin, referring to its “deep black” fins

Egglestonichthys patriciae Miller & Wongrat 1979 in honor of Patricia Eggleston, presumably wife of David Eggleston (see genus), who collected holotype

Egglestonichthys rubidus Allen, Erdmann & Brooks 2020 Latin for red or reddish, referring to red to reddish-brown color of body, head and fins in life

Egglestonichthys ulbubunitj Larson 2013 named for the Ulbu Bunidj clan in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia, where it occurs

Ego Randall 1994 Latin for “I” or “of myself” in the sense of egotistical, referring to its big head (deeper than its body)

Ego zebra Randall 1994 referring to its zebra-like black bars

Elacatinus Jordan 1904 Latinized adjective of ēlakátē (ἠλακάτη), spindle, i.e., spindle-like, referring to fusiform body of E. oceanops

Elacatinus atronasus (Böhlke & Robins 1968) atro-, from ater (L.), black; nasus (L.), nose, referring to its blackish snout

Elacatinus cayman Victor 2014 named for the Cayman Islands, where it is endemic

Elacatinus centralis Victor 2014 Latin for central, referring to its central Caribbean distribution in the Cayman Islands

Elacatinus chancei (Beebe & Hollister 1933) in honor of Col. Edwin M. Chance (d. 1954), president of United Engineers & Constructors Inc. (which built power plants), whose “interest and generosity” made the West Indian expedition (during which type was collected) possible

Elacatinus colini Randall & Lobel 2009 in honor of Patrick L. Colin (b. 1946), Coral Reef Research Foundation (Koror, Palau), for his “exceptional” doctoral thesis on the comparative biology of the genus, and for his help (providing color photographs and guidance) with the authors’ research

Elacatinus evelynae (Böhlke & Robins 1968) in honor of Evelyn McCutcheon (1894–1977), the “gracious mistress of Treasure Island (Salt Cay) in the Bahamas, where the senior author and Mr. Charles C. G. Chaplin [ichthyologist] have spent many pleasant hours observing and collecting her fishes and enjoying her fine hospitality”

Elacatinus figaro Sazima, Moura & Rosa 1997 named for Figaro, the “smart and joyful” barber in Rossini’s opera The Barber of Seville (1816), referring to this goby’s cleaning behavior

Elacatinus genie (Böhlke & Robins 1968) in honor of Eugenia (Genie) B. Böhlke (1929–2001), wife of the first author and an accomplished ichthyologist herself [a noun in apposition, without the genitive “ae”]

Elacatinus horsti (Metzelaar 1922) in honor of Dutch zoologist C. J. van der Horst (1889–1951), who collected holotype during his 1920 stay at Curacao

Elacatinus illecebrosus (Böhlke & Robins 1968) Latin for enticing or alluring, allusion not explained nor evident

Elacatinus jarocho Taylor & Akins 2007 local name for Veracruzanos, the native people of Veracruz, México (where this goby is endemic), “who have embraced the protection and conservation of the Veracruz reef system”

Elacatinus lobeli Randall & Colin 2009 in honor of ichthyologist Phillip S. Lobel, Boston University, who provided specimens, photographs and biological data

Elacatinus lori Colin 2002 in honor of Colin’s wife, Lori Jane Bell Colin, Co-Director, Manager and Research Scientist, Coral Reef Research Foundation (Koror, Palau), for her numerous contributions to the biology of coral reef fishes [a noun in apposition, without the genitive “ae”]

Elacatinus louisae (Böhlke & Robins 1968) in honor of Louise C. Chaplin (1906–1983), who, with her husband, ichthyologist Charles C. G. Chaplin (1906–1991), made possible the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia’s shorefish program in the Bahamas, during which type was collected

Elacatinus oceanops Jordan 1904 oceanus (L.), sea; ṓps (ὦψ), eye, referring to its color, “suggesting” that of the Matasami (Eye of the Sea), Malacanthus latovittatus (Acanthuriformes: Malacanthidae)

Elacatinus phthirophagus Sazima, Carvalho-Filho & Sazima 2008 phtheirós (Φθειρός), genitive of phtheír (φθείρ), louse; phagus, from phageī́n (φαγεῖν), to eat, referring to its feeding mostly on larval, parasitic gnathiid isopods it picks from its clients

Elacatinus pridisi Guimarães, Gasparini & Rocha 2004 in honor of the Brazilian Navy First District (Primeiro Distrito Naval, Marinha do Brasil, or “PRIDIS”), for the “impeccable logistic support” provided during the authors’ field trips to Trindade Island, off Brazil, type locality

Elacatinus prochilos (Böhlke & Robins 1968) pro- (L.), before; chilos, from cheī́los (χεῖλος), lip, referring to forward position of mouth as compared with E. genie

Elacatinus puncticulatus (Ginsburg 1938) Latin for dotted, referring to very small, intensely dark spots “rather evenly but not very thickly distributed” all over body, with additional “tiny dots” visible under high magnification

Elacatinus randalli (Böhlke & Robins 1968) in honor of John E. Randall (1924–2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), the authors’ “frequent accomplice in ichthyological pursuits,” who collected many of the specimens of this goby and otherwise has contributed greatly to knowledge of West Indian fishes

Elacatinus rubrifrons (Fowler 1944) rubrum (L.), red; frons (L.), face or brow, referring to “pearly-pink” bands on head

Elacatinus serranilla Randall & Lobel 2009 named for Serranilla Bank, Caribbean Sea, type locality

Elacatinus tenox (Böhlke & Robins 1968) te, referring to TE-42, a station number in Dominica based on the initials of its collectors, American ichthyologists James C. Tyler (1935–2023) and William N. Eschmeyer (1939–2024); nox (L.), night, referring to its dark color

Elacatinus xanthiprora (Böhlke & Robins 1968) xanthós (ξανθός), yellow; próra (πρώρα), prow, referring to yellow mid-rostral stripe

Eleotrica Ginsburg 1933 -ica (L.), belonging to: etymology not explained, perhaps referring to its initial placement in the family Eleotridae

Eleotrica cableae Ginsburg 1933 in honor of U.S. government biologist Louella E. Cable (1900–1986), who illustrated this goby for Ginsburg, and called his attention to its ventral fins not being united

Evermannichthys Metzelaar 1919 -ia (L.), belonging to: the “well-known” American ichthyologist Barton Warren Evermann (1853–1932), for his “kind assistance”

Evermannichthys bicolor Thacker 2001 bi-, from bis (L.), twice, i.e., two-colored, referring to its distinctive color pattern, dark on dorsal third of body, pale on remainder

Evermannichthys convictor Böhlke & Robins 1969 Latin for a table companion, messmate or familiar friend (authors say a guest), referring to its living deep within the canals of sponges (hence the common name Tenant Goby)

Evermannichthys metzelaari Hubbs 1923 in honor of Dutch ichthyologist Jan Metzelaar (1891–1929), who described this goby in 1919 but used a name (E. spongicola) that is preoccupied by Garmania spongicola Radcliffe 1917 when both are placed in Evermannichthys

Evermannichthys silus Böhlke & Robins 1969 Latin for pug-nosed, referring to its facial appearance

Evermannichthys spongicola (Radcliffe 1917) spongia (L.), sponge; –cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, referring to its habit of living inside the cavities of large cup-like sponges

Eviota Jenkins 1903 ev-, Latinization (for euphony) of eū́- (εὖ), an intensive prefix, e.g., good, well or very; iota (ι), ninth and smallest letter of the Greek alphabet, often figuratively used to describe anything small or insignificant, referring to E. epiphanes, which, at 1.0–1.9 cm in length, Jenkins claimed was the “smallest vertebrate that has up to this time been described”

Eviota abax (Jordan & Snyder 1901) ábax (ἄβαξ), an ancient counting board containing grooves in which counters were placed, a forerunner of the abacus (authors say a checkerboard), presumably referring to checkerboard-like pattern formed by each scale having a dark border

Eviota afelei Jordan & Seale 1906 in honor of Afele, a Samoan boy who collected holotype from coral heads in Pago Pago

Eviota albolineata Jewett & Lachner 1983 albus (L.), white; lineata (L.), lined, referring to pale stripes laterally situated on head

Eviota algida Greenfield & Erdmann 2014 Latin for cold, referring to its occurrence in cooler (18–29°C), deep upwelling waters off Nusa Penida, Indonesia

Eviota amamiko Fujiwara, Suzuki & Motomura 2019 named for Amamiko (also spelled Amamikyu and Amamichuu), creation goddess of the Ryukyu Islands (where it occurs) in Japanese mythology [a noun in apposition, without the genitive “ae”]

Eviota amphipora Greenfield & Erdmann 2020 amphi– (ἁμφί-), on both sides or double; póros (πόρος), hole or passage, referring to pair of PITO (posterior interorbital) pores, one on each side of interorbital area

Eviota ancora Greenfield & Suzuki 2011 Latin for anchor (authors say hooked), referring to distinctive orange hook-shaped marking on side of head

Eviota angustifascia Greenfield & Erdmann 2020 angustus (L.), narrow; fascia (L.), band, referring to narrow, white, vertical lines crossing body

Eviota aquila Greenfield & Jewett 2014 Latin for dark-colored or blackish, referring to its generally dark coloration, particularly the head, nape and cheek

Eviota asymbasia Greenfield & Jewett 2016 Greek (ἀσυμβασία) for inconsistency, referring to its preopercular pores, which are usually, but not always, absent

Eviota atauroensis Greenfield, Erdmann & Tornabene 2023 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Ataro Island, Timor-Lest, type locality

Eviota atriventris Greenfield & Suzuki 2012 atri-, from ater (L.), black; ventris, genitive of venter (L.), belly, referring to black pigment in area of abdomen

Eviota bacata Greenfield, Erdmann & Teitelbaum 2024 Latin for adorned with pearls, referring to strong of round white spots across dark abdomen

Eviota bella Greenfield, Erdmann & Ichida 2025 Latin for beautiful (but treated as a noun), referring to its iridescent live colors

Eviota bifasciata Lachner & Karnella 1980 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; fasciata (L.), banded, referring to upper and lower dark streaks on caudal peduncle and caudal fin

Eviota bifurca Chen, Shen & Chang 2025 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; furcum (L.), pronged, referring to forked dark mark on first dorsal fin

Eviota bikiniensis Erdmann, Greenfield & Ichida 2025 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands, type locality; “It is an honor to name this unique species in recognition of Bikini and the People of Bikini, who have suffered tremendously as a result of the nuclear testing that required their displacement from their ancestral home – which nonetheless remains to this day a stunningly beautiful part of the planet and a testament to the resilience of nature.”

Eviota bilunula Greenfield & Suzuki 2016 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; lunula, diminutive of luna (L.), moon, i.e., crescent, referring to two distinctive black crescent-shaped marks underneath pectoral fin

Eviota bimaculata Lachner & Karnella 1980 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; maculata (L.), spotted, referring to pair of dark occipital spots on each side of head

Eviota bipunctata Greenfield & Jewett 2016 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; punctata (L.), spotted, referring to two dark spots on fleshy pectoral-fin base

Eviota brahmi Greenfield & Tornabene 2014 in honor of Brahm Kai Erdmann (son of marine biologist Mark V. Erdmann), who pointed out that fishes similar to E. nigriventris captured at Raja Ampat did not match the photos of that species in his father’s book Reef Fishes of the East Indies

Eviota cometa Jewett & Lachner 1983 Latin for comet, referring to spot at caudal-fin base and its trailing dark streak

Eviota dalyi Greenfield & Gordon 2019 in honor of Ryan Daly, South African marine biologist, oceanographer, and Research Director at Save Our Oceans D’Arros Research Centre (Seychelles), who photographed and collected holotype and played a “major role” in surveying the fishes of the Seychelles Islands

Eviota deminuta Tornabene, Ahmadia & Williams 2013 Latin for diminutive (adjective), referring to its “tiny size and reduced morphology” (reaching 11.8 mm SL)

Eviota disrupta Karnella & Lachner 1981 Latin for broken up, referring to dark vertical bars on trunk, some of which are almost always irregularly broken into elongate, oval or oblong marks on anterolateral portion of body

Eviota distigma Jordan & Seale 1906 di-, from dýo (δύο), two; stígma (στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to two black spots at base of pectoral fin

Eviota dorsimaculata Tornabene, Ahmadia & Williams 2013 dorsi-, from dorsalis (Neo-Latin), of the back; maculata (L.), spotted, referring to spot on dorsal half of caudal peduncle

Eviota dorsogilva Greenfield & Randall 2011 dorsum (L.), back; gilva (L.), pale yellow, referring to color of body above lateral line

Eviota dorsopurpurea Greenfield & Randall 2011 dorsum (L.), back; purpurea (L.), purple, referring to color of body above lateral line

Eviota epiphanes Jenkins 1903 epiphanēs (επιφανής), glorious or splendid, presumably referring to its blue and sometimes “very bright” belly, orange caudal fin and translucent body

Eviota epistigmata Greenfield & Jewett 2014 epí (ἐπί), above; stigmata (L.), marks or spots, referring to dark mark on upper portion of caudal peduncle

Eviota erdmanni Tornabene & Greenfield 2016 in honor of marine biologist Mark V. Erdmann (b. 1968), “who has tirelessly photographed and collected numerous individuals of Eviota, many of which are new to science, including this species”

Eviota eyreae Greenfield & Randall 2016 in honor of Janet Van Sickle Eyre (b. 1955), diver and volunteer (Reef Environmental Education Foundation), who collected and photographed this goby in Fiji, and who also was of great assistance in the authors’ studies of the genus

Eviota fallax Greenfield & Allen 2012 Latin for false or deceitful, referring to its superficial similarity to E. natalis

Eviota fasciola Karnella & Lachner 1981 diminutive of fascia (L.), band, referring to dark, discrete vertical bars nearly encircling trunk

Eviota filamentosa Sukuzi & Greenfield 2014 Latin for filamentous, referring to thread-like first dorsal-fin spine

Eviota flaviarma Greenfield & Erdmann 2021 flavus (L.), yellow; arma, feminine adjectival form of armus (L.), shoulder, i.e., shouldered, referring to yellow upper pectoral-fin base

Eviota flavipinnata Suzuki, Greenfield & Motomura 2015 flavus (L.), yellow; pinnata (L.), winged or finned, referring to its golden-yellow dorsal and caudal fins

Eviota flebilis Greenfield, Suzuki & Shibukawa 2014 Latin for “to be wept over” (i.e., tearful), referring to distinctive tear-like red line under eye

Eviota fluctiphila Greenfield, Erdmann & Mambrasar 2022 fluctus (L.), tide or wave; phila, from phílos (φίλος), fond of, referring to its occurrence in shallow subtidal (0.2–2 m), wave-washed, volcanic rock exposed to near-constant surge conditions, where they shelter in small cracks in the vertical rock faces

Eviota geminata Greenfield & Bogorodsky 2014 said to be a noun based on geminus (L.), twin (adjective), referring to its “great similarity” to E. randalli (however, geminatus/-ata/-atum is actually an adjective meaning paired, doubled or repeated

Eviota gunawanae Greenfield, Tornabene & Erdmann 2019 in honor of Tiene Gunawan, “one of Indonesia’s foremost marine conservationists who has dedicated the past two decades to expanding the marine protected area network of West Papua and formulating policies to protect the biodiverse marine ecosystems contained therein”; she also helped plan and launch the marine biodiversity survey of the Fakfak coastline that led to the discovery of this goby

Eviota guttata Lachner & Karnella 1978 Latin for dappled or speckled, referring to numerous fine spots on upper head, trunk and caudal fin

Eviota herrei Jordan & Seale 1906 in honor of American ichthyologist-lichenologist Albert W. Herre (1868–1962), Jordan’s student at the time

Eviota hinanoae Tornabene, Ahmadia & Williams 2013 in honor of Hinano Murphy, President of Te Pu Atitia (Atitia Center) and Associate Director of Administration & Outreach at US Berkeley Gump Research Station in Mo’orea, French Polynesia, who, along with her husband Frank, were instrumental in facilitating research in Mo’orea, thus resulting in the discovery of this goby

Eviota hoesei Gill & Jewett 2004 in honor of friend and colleague Douglass F. Hoese (b. 1942), American-born Australian ichthyologist, Australian Museum (Sydney), for his “important” contributions to the systematics of gobioid fishes

Eviota imitata Greenfield, Tornabene & Edrmann 2017 Latin for mimicked or imitated, referring to its similarity to E. flebilis

Eviota indica Lachner & Karnella 1980 -ica (L.), belonging to, Indian Ocean, where it occurs

Eviota infulata (Smith 1957) Latin for adorned with a fillet (a thin narrow strip of material), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to long anterior rays of first dorsal fin in males

Eviota inutilis Whitley 1943 Latin for useless, named for type locality, Useless Inlet, Shark Bay, Western Australia

Eviota irrasa Karnella & Lachner 1981 Latin for unpolished or unshaved, referring to “indiscrete nature” of pigment pattern on head and trunk compared with E. fasciola and E. disrupta

Eviota japonica Jewett & Lachner 1983 -ica (L.), belonging to: Japan, where it occurs in the Northwestern Pacific

Eviota jewettae Greenfield & Winterbottom 2012 in honor Susan Jewett (formerly Karnella, b. 1945), Collection Manager, Division of Fishes, Smithsonian Institution, who previously recognized this species as undescribed in 1978; during the 1970s and 1980s she, and Ernest A. Lachner described many new Eviota species and laid the foundation for the study of the genus

Eviota karaspila Greenfield & Randall 2010 kára (κάρα), head; spila, from spílos (σπίλος), mark or spot, referring to its distinctive occipital spot

Eviota kathyae Greenfield, Brooks & Erdmann 2026 in honor of Kathryn (Kathy) Uhrig Kimball, the second author’s life companion and an “active diving member of the expedition that uncovered this beautiful new species”

Eviota kermadecensis Hoese & Stewart 2012 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Kermadec Islands of New Zealand, only known area of occurrence

Eviota korechika Shibukawa & Suzuki 2005 in honor of Korechika Yano, Dive Service YANO (Iriomote Island, Japan), who provided many interesting fish species, including holotype of this one [a noun in apposition, without the genitive “i”]

Eviota lachdeberei Giltay 1933 eponym not identified, perhaps in honor of Lt.-Col. Philip Frederik Lambertus Christiaan Lach de Bère (1859–1936), Royal Netherlands East Indies Army, who lived in Indonesia, where this goby was collected

Eviota lacrimae Sunobe 1988 genitive of lacrima (L.), a tear, referring to dark bar below eye, across lip to the chin

Eviota lacrimosa Tornabene, Ahmadia & Williams 2013 Latin for tearful or weeping, referring to bar below eye, reminiscent of a tear

Eviota lateritea Greenfield & Winterbottom 2016 Neo-Latin adjective (but said to be a noun) derived from laterite, a mineral producing the red dust that is all-pervasive in southern New Caledonia (where this goby occurs), referring to its red coloration

Eviota latifasciata Jewett & Lachner 1983 latus (L.), broad or wide; fasciata (L.), banded, referring to broad subcutaneous bars on trunk

Eviota lentiginosa Greenfield & Randall 2017 Latin for freckled, referring to many tiny dark spots covering yellow head and body

Eviota longirostris Tornabene, Greenfield & Erdmann 2021 longus (L.), long; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, referring to relatively long snout compared with others in the E. zebrina complex

Eviota maculibotella Greenfield & Winterbottom 2016 maculosa (L.), dappled or spotted; botellus (L.), a small sausage, a precursor to pudding (meats stuffed into animal organs and boiled) in British English, referring to spots on male urogenital papilla, which are reminiscent of the British pudding known as “spotted dick,” which is light brown with dark spots

Eviota maculosa Greenfield, Tornabene & Erdmann 2018 Latin for dappled or spotted, referring to distinctive large black spots on first dorsal fin of males

Eviota marerubrum Tornabene, Greenfield & Erdmann 2021 mare (L.), sea; rubrum, from ruber (L.), red, referring to Red Sea, type locality

Eviota marteynae Greenfield & Erdmann 2020 in honor of Marteyne van Well, General Manager, Six Senses Resort (Laamu Atoll, Maldive Islands), for her “deep commitment to sustainability in the hospitality industry and her strong support for marine conservation initiatives that protect the reefs where this species is found”

Eviota masudai Matsuura & Senou 2006 in honor of the late Hajime Masuda (1921–2005), University of Tokyo, “who contributed greatly to Japanese and Indo-west Pacific ichthyology through his many books containing excellent photographs”

Eviota melanosphena Greenfield & Jewett 2016 mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; sphḗna (σφήνα), wedge, referring to dark, wedge-shaped mark at base of caudal fin

Eviota melasma Lachner & Karnella 1980 mélasma (μέλασμα), black spot, referring to dark occipital spot on each side of head

Eviota mikiae Allen 2001 in honor of Miki Tonozuka of Bali, Indonesia, for her assistance in the field during the Weh Island survey, during which holotype was collected

Eviota mimica Greenfield & Randall 2016 Latin for imitative, referring to its superficial similarity to E. minuta

Eviota minuta Greenfield & Jewett 2014 Latin for small, referring to its small size, almost always under 14 mm SL

Eviota monostigma Fourmanoir 1971 mono-, from mónos (μόνος), one or single; stígma (στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to black blotch at base of pectoral fin

Eviota natalis Allen 2007 Latin for “of or belonging to birth,” often applied to Christmas, referring to Christmas Island, eastern Indian Ocean, where it is endemic

Eviota nebulosa Smith 1958 Latin for cloudy or dark, presumably referring to its color in alcohol, “milky grey with dusky specklings and marks”

Eviota niedenthali Greenfield, Erdmann & Ichida 2026 in honor of Jack Niedenthal, a “long-term champion for the people of Bikini, former Minister of Health for the Marshall Islands, and guide for our recent expedition to Bikini,” where this goby occurs

Eviota nigramembrana Greenfield & Suzuki 2013 nigra (L.), dark or black; membrana (L.), membrane (but used as an adjective), referring to distinctive black pigment on opercular membrane

Eviota nigripinna Lachner & Karnella 1980 nigra (L.), dark or black; pinna (L.), fin, referring to black first dorsal fin

Eviota nigrispina Greenfield & Suzuki 2010 nigra (L.), dark or black; spina (L.), thorn or spine (authors say backbone), referring to black pigment extending along backbone

Eviota nigriventris Giltay 1933 nigra (L.), dark or black; ventris, genitive of venter (L.), belly, referring to black or dusky ventral half of body in alcohol (red in living specimens)

Eviota notata Greenfield & Jewett 2012 Latin for marked, referring to large, dark marks on head and nape

Eviota occasa Greenfield, Winterbottom & Suzuki 2014 from occasus (L.), sunset, referring to distinctive yellow-orange broad wedge-shaped bar at caudal-fin base on a red body, reminiscent of a sunset

Eviota ocellifer Shibukawa & Suzuki 2005 ocellus, diminutive of oculus (L.), eye (i.e., eyespot; -ifer, from fera (L.), to have or bear, referring to semi-ocellated spot on anteroventral part of first dorsal fin

Eviota oculineata Tornabene, Greenfield & Erdmann 2021 oculis, from oculus (L.), eye; lineata (L.), lined, referring to stripes through eye, which distinguishes it from E. cometa

Eviota oculopiperita Greenfield & Bogorodsky 2014 oculus (L.), eye; piperita (L.), peppered, also specific name of the peppermint plant, Mentha piperita, referring to color of the goby’s eye, which resembles a peppermint candy

Eviota pamae Allen, Brooks & Erdmann 2013 in honor of Pamela Scott Rorke, second author’s wife and a diving member of the expedition that discovered this goby

Eviota pardalota Lachner & Karnella 1978 pardalōtos (παρδαλωτός), spotted like a leopard, referring to its numerous body spots

Eviota partimacula Randall 2008 partitus (L.), divided; macula (L.), spot, referring to large black spot at base of caudal fin that is nearly divided by a midlateral pale dash

Eviota pellucida Larson 1976 Latin for translucently clear, referring to its transparent rose-pink coloration in life (plain yellowish in alcohol)

Eviota perspicilla Fujiwara, Suzuki & Motomura 2019 from perspicillum (L.), eyeglasses or spectacles, referring to two small circular translucent white spots along first dorsal-fin base

Eviota pictifacies Greenfield & Erdmann 2017 pictus (L.), painted; facies (L.), face, referring to bright-red spots on side of head, similar to those painted on a clown

Eviota pinocchioi Greenfield & Winterbottom 2012 of the fictional character Pinocchio, who had a nose that grew long when he lied, alluding to its exceptionally long anterior tubular nares

Eviota piperata Greenfield & Winterbottom 2014 Latin for peppered, referring to “heavy peppering” of melanophores over head and rest of body

Eviota prasina (Klunzinger 1871) Latin (feminine) for leek-green, from prásinos (πράσινος), referring to its light-green, leek-like coloration

Eviota prasites Jordan & Seale 1906 -ites (-ίδες), like: prásinos (πράσινος), leek-green, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its superficial similarity to E. prasina

Eviota pseudaprica Winterbottom & Greenfield 2020 pseudo-, from pseúdēs (ψεύδης), false, although similar in coloration with Sueviota aprica (especially on the nape), such an appearance is false

Eviota pseudostigma Lachner & Karnella 1980 pseudo-, from pseúdēs (ψεύδης), false; stígma (στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to incomplete development of pectoral-base spot compared with E. monostigma

Eviota pseudozebrina Tornabene, Greenfield & Erdmann 2021 pseudo-, from pseúdēs (ψεύδης), false, i.e., although it may resemble E. zebrina, such an appearance is false

Eviota punctulata Jewett & Lachner 1983 diminutive of punctum (L.), spot, i.e., having tiny spots, referring to small dark spots on fins

Eviota punyit Tornabene, Valdez & Erdmann 2016 named for Pulau Punyit (an island), Negara Brunei Darussalam, where this “beautiful” species was first recognized as being distinct from E. sebreei

Eviota queenslandica Whitley 1932 -ica (L.), belonging to: proposed as a Queensland (Australia) subspecies of E. viridis (=prasina)

Eviota raja Allen 2001 named for the Raja Ampat Islands, Irian Jaya Province, Indonesia, only known area of occurrence

Eviota randalli Greenfield 2009 in honor of American ichthyologist John E. Randall (1924–2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), who has “greatly furthered Eviota systematics by photographing and collecting many species, including a number new to science”

Eviota readerae Gill & Jewett 2004 in honor of Sally E. Reader (Australian Museum, Sydney), who assisted the first author with the collection of most of the type specimens, and kindly arranged the loan of specimens for this study

Eviota richardi Greenfield & Randall 2016 in honor of Zambian-born Canadian ichthyologist (and goby specialist) Richard Winterbottom (b. 1944), Royal Ontario Museum, who made important collections in Fiji, recognized this species as undescribed, and provided invaluable help to the first author

Eviota rubra Greenfield & Randall 1999 Latin (feminine) for red, referring to its bright-red markings in life

Eviota rubriceps Greenfield & Jewett 2011 rubri-, from ruber (L.), red; -ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to its distinctive red head in life

Eviota rubriguttata Greenfield & Suzuki 2011 rubri-, from ruber (L.), red; guttata (L.), spotted, referring to distinctive red spots on dorsal and anal fins

Eviota rubrimaculata Suzuki, Greenfield & Motomura 2015 rubri-, from ruber (L.), red; macula (L.), spot, referring to distinctive red spots on head and body

Eviota rubrisparsa Greenfield & Randall 2010 rubri-, from ruber (L.), red; sparsa (L.), sprayed or scattered, referring to “main live color pattern of red dots”

Eviota rubrostriata Shen, Hung & Chen 2024 rubro-, from ruber (L.), red; striata (L.), striated (marked with long, thin parallel streaks), referring to deep-red stripe extending from lower margin of eye to posterior region of both lips

Eviota saipanensis Fowler 1945 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Saipan Island, western Pacific, type locality

Eviota samota Greenfield, Erdmann & Putra 2025 named for the 728,484-hectare SAMOTA (Saleh-Moyo-Tambora) Biosphere Reserve, Teluk Saleh, Sumbawa, Indonesia, type locality

Eviota santanai Greenfield & Erdmann 2013 in honor of Connisso Antonino (“Nino Konis”) Santana (1957–1988), a national hero in Timor-Leste’s struggle for independence who was renowned for his environmental awareness; type locality is in Tutuala, just offshore of Santana’s birthplace, and is located within the Nino Konis Santana National Park

Eviota sebreei Jordan & Seale 1906 in honor of Capt. Uriel Sebree (1848–1922), U.S. Navy, commandant at the U.S. Naval Station Tutuila (American Samoa), and through whom the gunboat Wheeling and its equipment were placed at the authors’ disposal

Eviota shibukawai Suzuki & Greenfield 2014 in honor of Koichi Shibukawa, Nagao Natural Environment Foundation, who collected and photographed type, for his “great” contribution to our knowledge of the systematics of the Gobioidei

Eviota shimadai Greenfield & Randall 2010 in honor of Kazuhiko Shimada, Okinawa Prefectural Fisheries and Ocean Research Center, who previously (1993) recognized this species in Japan as being undescribed

Eviota sigillata Jewett & Lachner 1983 Latin for embossed with little figures or marks, referring to seven dark, subcutaneous ventral midline spots

Eviota singula Greenfield & Winterbottom 2016 a noun derived from singulus (L.), one, referring to the single obvious dark spot on occiput

Eviota smaragdus Jordan & Seale 1906 Latin for emerald, presumably referring to “translucent, bright grass-green” color of one specimen (another specimen was greenish yellow)

Eviota sodwanaensis Greenfield & Winterbottom 2016 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Sodwana Bay, Kwazulu-Natal Province, South Africa, type locality

Eviota sparsa Jewett & Lachner 1983 Latin for sprayed or scattered, referring to chromatophores scattered over body

Eviota specca Greenfield, Suzuki & Shibukawa 2014 Latin for speckled, referring to heavy speckling of chromatophores over body

Eviota spilota Lachner & Karnella 1980 from spilōtós (σπιλωτός), marked or stained, referring to spots on second dorsal fin

Eviota springeri Greenfield & Jewett 2012 in honor of American ichthyologist Victor G. Springer (1928–2022), U.S. National Museum, who collected a number of the type specimens, as well as many specimens of other Eviota species, thereby contributing greatly to the authors’ studies

Eviota storthynx (Rofen 1959) Greek (στόρθυγξ) for tusk, referring to its elongate anterior nostrils, which look like tusks [author previously known as Harry]

Eviota susanae Greenfield & Randall 1999 in honor Susan Jewett (formerly Karnella, b. 1945), Collection Manager, Division of Fishes, Smithsonian Institution, whose publications with Ernest A. Lachner “laid the groundwork for all future studies” of the genus

Eviota taeiae Erdmann, Greenfield & Tornabene 2023 in memory of Sue Miller Taei (d. 2020), a “passionate and highly respected marine conservationist who dedicated her career to the reefs and peoples of the Pacific ‘Oceanscape’, and especially to her native Samoa”; she “tragically passed away [from cancer] shortly after this beautiful new species was discovered”

Eviota teresae Greenfield & Randall 2016 in honor of the senior author’s wife Teresa, who assisted in collecting the type material and has provided field, editorial, and moral support to her husband for many years

Eviota tetha Greenfield & Erdmann 2014 in honor of Creusa Hitipeuw (1969–2013), known to her colleagues as “Tetha,” a “passionate and highly-respected Indonesian marine conservationist who dedicated her career to saving the coral reefs and especially marine turtles of Indonesia, with a strong focus on Teluk Cenderawasih and the Bird’s Head region of West Papua” (where this goby occurs); she passed away shortly after the discovery of this species after a brief and unexpected battle with cancer [a noun in apposition, without the genitive “ae”]

Eviota thamani Greenfield & Randall 2016 in honor of Randolph R. Thaman (b. 1943), Professor of Pacific Islands Biogeography at the University of the South Pacific, for continuous support of the authors’ work in Fiji over the years, without which their research would not have been possible; in addition, he assisted Janet V. Eyre (see E. eyreae) in obtaining permission to collect Eviota specimens

Eviota tigrina Greenfield & Randall 2008 Latin for tiger-like, referring to narrow, black lines on scale pockets, which form spindle-like patterns like those on tigers

Eviota toshiyuki Greenfield & Randall 2010 in honor of ichthyologist Toshiyuki Suzuki, who collected type and provided photographs of other Eviota species (the authors chose “toshiyuki” over “suzuki” because the latter is a common surname in Japan) [presumably a noun in apposition, without the genitive “i”]

Eviota vader Greenfield, Erdmann & Ichida 2025 named for the fictional dark figure Darth Vader in the “Star Wars” movie franchise, referring to the fact that this is the darkest of all described dwarfgobies [third author’s name misspelled as “Ishida” in description]

Eviota variola Lachner & Karnella 1980 variola (L.), pustule or pox, i.e., spot (authors say spotted), referring to spots on first dorsal-fin spine and filament

Eviota winterbottomi Greenfield & Randall 2010 in honor of Zambian-born Canadian ichthyologist Richard Winterbottom (b. 1944), Royal Ontario Museum, who first recognized this species as new from specimens he collected in Vietnam, maintains a working key to species of the genus, and provides valuable advice on goby systematics

Eviota zebrina Lachner & Karnella 1978 scientific Neo-Latin for zebra-like, referring to dark oblique bars on caudal fin

Eviota zonura Jordan & Seale 1906 zona (L.), belt or girdle; urus, from ourá (οὐρά), tail, presumably referring to black bar before base of caudal fin

Exyrias Jordan & Seale 1906 ex- (ἐξ), out of or away from; xyrias, from xuréō (ξυρέω), to shave, i.e., unshaven, presumably referring to fully scaled cheeks of E. puntangoides (=puntang)

Exyrias akihito Allen & Randall 2005 in honor of Emperor Akihito of Japan (b. 1933), for his significant contributions to gobiid systematics; in addition, many of the type specimens were supplied by the Biological Laboratory of the Imperial Household in Tokyo [a noun in apposition, without the genitive “i”]

Exyrias belissimus (Smith 1959) misspelling of bellissimus (L.), very beautiful, presumably referring to its “brilliant” coloration in life

Exyrias ferrarisi Murdy 1985 in honor of American ichthyologist Carl Ferraris, Jr. (b. 1950), who collected type specimens of this species during one of his and Murdy’s many goby expeditions to the Philippines

Exyrias puntang (Bleeker 1851) Javanese name for many species of goby

Favonigobius Whitley 1930 etymology not explained, perhaps favonius (L.), the west wind, referring to type locality of F. lateralis (type species) in Western Australia; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Favonigobius exquisitus Whitley 1950 Latin for exquisite, a “beautiful little fish”

Favonigobius gymnauchen (Bleeker 1860) gymnós (γυμνός), bare or naked; auchḗn (αὐχήν), nape, referring to a scaleless triangular space extending backward from occiput to insertion of first dorsal fin

Favonigobius lateralis (Macleay 1881) Latin for of the side, presumably referring to five large, reddish-brown spots “along the middle of each side of the body”

Favonigobius lentiginosus (Richardson 1844) Latin for freckled, presumably referring to “minute white specks” in longitudinal rows along lower part of sides and/or “numerous whitish specks” on cheeks

Favonigobius melanobranchus (Fowler 1934) mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; branchus, from bránchia (βράγχια), gills, referring to black median band on under surface of head

Favonigobius neilli (Day 1868) in honor of Andrew Charles Brisbane Neill (1814–1891), Scottish physician in the Indian Medical Service, “esteemed friend and correspondent” (per Day’s 1869 description of Barbus neilli [=Tor khudree, Cyprinidae: Torinae])

Favonigobius opalescens (Herre 1936) Latin for opalescent, presumably referring to “old ivory” color in alcohol and/or white spots on side, presumably a pearly spot on each scale in life

Favonigobius punctatus (Gill & Miller 1990) Latin for spotted, referring to distinctive red and/or yellow spots which led to its initial separation from F. lateralis

Favonigobius reichei (Bleeker 1854) in honor of Surgeon-Colonel M. Th. Reiche, Civil Medical Service, Dutch East Indies, who collected holotype

Feia Smith 1959 etymology not explained; since Portuguese is the national language of Mozambique (type locality of F. nympha), probably from feia, Portuguese word for ugly or ugly one (Smith’s illustration of F. nympha depicts an unattractive fish relative to many other gobies)

Feia dabra Winterbottom 2005 arbitrary combination of letters combining the first few letters of the given names of Winterbottom’s son, David, and of Bradley Hubley (Royal Ontario Museum), both of whom contributed “immeasurably to the success and wellbeing of the Palau biodiversity expedition team” that collected type

Feia nota Gill & Mooi 1999 Latin for a mark, referring to pale spots on dorsal part of body

Feia nympha Smith 1959 nýmph (νύμφη), nymph or female sprite, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to an immature form of an insect that does not change greatly as it grows, referring to this goby’s small size (27 mm), and reflecting Smith’s comment that it is “Clearly a degenerate fish”

Feia ranta Winterbottom 2003 an arbitrary combination of letters reflecting the first three letters of the forenames of Randall D. Mooi and Anthony C. Gill, two specialists in Indo-Pacific fish systematics who have worked on Feia; Mooi is additionally recognized for his help and “cheerful companionship” on collecting trips to the Philippines, Thailand and French Polynesia

Feia seba Allen, Erdmann & Brooks 2020 in honor of Sebastian (“Seba”) Tahing, who collected holotype; “Seba has been an indispensable assistant with our Milne Bay fish collections for many years—sharp-eyed and always willing to help.” [presumably a noun in apposition, without the genitive “i”; third author’s name is misspelled “Books” in the original description]

Fusigobius Whitley 1930 etymology not explained, perhaps fusio (L.), fusion, referring to fully united pelvic fins of F. neophytus; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Fusigobius aureus Chen & Shao 1997 Latin for golden, referring to many golden-yellow spots scattered on body and fins

Fusigobius duospilus Hoese & Reader 1985 duo (L.), two; spílos (σπίλος), mark or spot, referring to two dark spots on dorsal fin

Fusigobius gracilis (Randall 2001) Latin for thin or slender, being the slenderest species of the genus

Fusigobius humeralis (Randall 2001) Latin for humeral to black spot in humeral region, its most conspicuous marking

Fusigobius humerosus Kovačić, Bogorodsky & Alpermann 2023 -osus (L. adjectival suffix): referring to its resemblance to its sister species F. humeralis, both of which have a distinct black spot in the humeral area above the pectoral-fin base

Fusigobius inframaculatus (Randall 1994) infra– (L.), below or under (Randalls says inner); maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to elongate internal black-and-white spots, which are conspicuous in life

Fusigobius longispinus Goren 1978 longus (L.), long; spinus (L.), spine, referring to very long first spine of anterior dorsal fin

Fusigobius maximus (Randall 2001) Latin for greatest or largest, reaching 75 mm SL, the largest species of the genus

Fusigobius melacron (Randall 2001) mélas (μέλας), black; ákron (ἅκρον), summit, top or peak, referring to dark upper part of dorsal fin, its most characteristic color marking

Fusigobius neophytus (Günther 1877) néos (νέος), new; phytós (φύτός), plant, i.e., newly planted (a neophyte), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its size, a “tiny little fish” (translation), reaching 5 cm

Fusigobius pallidus (Randall 2001) Latin for pale, referring to almost complete lack of color markings of preserved specimens

Fusigobius signipinnis Hoese & Obika 1988 signum, flag or banner; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, often seen flicking its first dorsal fin, which exposes a large black blotch that covers tips of first four rays

Fusigobius taipinensis Chen, Chen & Chang 2024 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Taiping Island, Taiwan, type locality

Fusigobius transversus Allen, Erdmann, Brooks & Ichida 2026 Latin for crosswise, referring to transverse pattern of sensory papillae on the cheek region, its most distinctive feature

Gammogobius Bath 1971 gammo-, in honor of R. Gammon, Occidental College (Los Angeles, CA, USA), who collected holotype; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Gammogobius steinitzi Bath 1971 in honor of the late Heinz Steinitz (1909–1971), marine biologist and herpetologist (Hebrew University, Jerusalem), “whose unexpected death [from a stroke] represents a great loss to ichthyology” (translation)

Ginsburgellus Böhlke & Robins 1968 -ellus (L.), diminutive connoting endearment: in honor of Isaac Ginsburg (1886–1975), U.S. National Museum, “prominent student of American gobies”

Ginsburgellus novemlineatus (Fowler 1950) novem (L.), nine; lineatus (L.), lined, referring to nine “narrow pearly blue to white lines or bands” on body

Gladiogobius Herre 1933 gladius (L.), sword, referring to large spine, “shaped like a rooster’s spur,” at posterior angle of preopercle of G. ensifer; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Gladiogobius brevispinis Shibukawa & Allen 2007 brevis (L.), short; spinis, from spinus (L.), thorn, referring to its preopercular spine, the shortest in the genus

Gladiogobius ensifer Herre 1933 ensis (L.), sword; -ifer, from fera (L.), to have or bear, referring to large spine, “shaped like a rooster’s spur,” at posterior angle of preopercle

Gladiogobius rex Shibukawa & Allen 2007 Latin for king, referring to its “brave appearance with armature consisting of a very long, sword-like” preopercular spine

Glossogobius Gill 1859 glṓssa (γλῶσσα), tongue, referring to deeply emarginate tongue of G. platycephalus (=giuris); gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Glossogobius ankaranensis Banister 1994 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Ankarana reserve, Madagascar, where this blind cave goby occurs

Glossogobius asaro Whitley 1959 named for the Asaro River, five miles south of Goroka, New Guinea, type locality

Glossogobius aureus Akihito & Meguro 1975 Latin for gold, referring to its common name, pla bu tong (golden goby), along the Chao Phraya River of Thailand

Glossogobius bellendenensis Hoese & Allen 2009 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Bellenden Ker Range, a coastal mountain range in Far North Queensland, Australia, where type locality (Eubenagee Swamp, near Innisfail) is situated

Glossogobius bicirrhosus (Weber 1894) bi-, from bis (L.), twice; cirrhosus (L.), curled, referring to two short, thick, triangular barbels protruding from its chin

Glossogobius biorbitalis Endruweit 2024 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; orbitalis (Medieval Latin), pertaining to the orbit, referring to two orbital rows of papillae

Glossogobius brunnoides (Nichols 1951) -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: referring to its superficial resemblance to Rhinogobius brunneus (Oxudercidae), its presumed congener at the time

Glossogobius bulmeri Whitley 1959 in honor of ethnobiologist Ralph N. H. Bulmer (1928–1988), National University (Canberra, Australia), who collected and presented holotype

Glossogobius callidus (Smith 1937) Latin for expert, shrewd, crafty or cunning, allusion not explained nor evident [replacement name for Gobius gulosus Smith 1936, preoccupied by G. gulosus Girard 1858]

Glossogobius celebius (Valenciennes 1837) -ius (L.), adjectival suffix: Celebes (now Sulawesi), Indonesia, where it appears to be endemic

Glossogobius circumspectus (Macleay 1883) Latin for cautious or wary, allusion not explained nor evident [placed in Astovelus by Endruweit, treated here as a synonym of Glossobobius]

Glossogobius clitellus Hoese & Allen 2012 from clitellae (L.), pack-saddle, referring to prominent saddles on back

Glossogobius coatesi Hoese & Allen 1990 in honor of marine biologist and limnologist David C. Coates, formerly of the Department of Fisheries & Marine Resources, Papua New Guinea, who helped collect holotype, for his collecting and logistics assistance in Papua New Guinea

Glossogobius concavifrons (Ramsay & Ogilby 1886) concavus (L.), hollowed or arched inward; frons (L.), brow or forehead, referring to its obtuse snout, “its profile concave posteriorly”

Glossogobius flavipinnis (Aurich 1938) flavus (L.), yellow; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to its yellow first dorsal fin

Glossogobius giuris (Hamilton 1822) Latinization of ghiyuri, one of its local Gangetic names in India, per Hora (1934)

Glossogobius gnomus Hoese, Allen & Hadiaty 2017 Neo-Latin for gnome, a diminutive fabled being or dwarf, referring to its small size (24-32.5 mm SL)

Glossogobius hanisi Zarei, Chakona & Schliewen 2025 in honor of Vuyani Hanisii, for his “long-standing and exceptional contributions” to the NRF-SAIAB National Fish Collection for over 17 years; the authors describe this honor as “unique” since eponyms are “traditionally” bestowed upon “scientists or collectors of specimens, but hands-on caring for one of the largest fish collections in the southern hemisphere is a substantial contribution”

Glossogobius hoesei Allen & Boeseman 1982 in honor of American-born Australian ichthyologist Douglass F. Hoese (b. 1942), Australian Museum (Sydney), for contributions to the knowledge of gobiid taxonomy

Glossogobius illimis Hoese & Allen 2012 Latin for without mud or clear, referring to its habitat of sandy, clear streams

Glossogobius intermedius Aurich 1938 Latin for intermediate, described as intermediate in some features between other gobies in the area, G. matanensis, G. giuris and G. celebius

Glossogobius kokius (Valenciennes 1837) Latinization of Koku, its local name in India as reported by Russell’s Descriptions and figures of two hundred fishes; collected at Vizagapatam on the coast of Coromandel (1803)

Glossogobius koragensis Herre 1935 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Koragu, New Guinea, type locality

Glossogobius laticeps (De Vis 1884) latus (L.), wide or broad; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to width of head, described as 1-4/5 times its length

Glossogobius macrocephalus Hoese & Allen 2015 macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; cephalus, from kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to its large and robust head, its length 32.9–34.9% SL

Glossogobius mahalonensis Hoese, Hadiaty & Herder 2015 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Lake Mahalona, Sulawesi, Indonesia, where it is endemic

Glossogobius matanensis (Weber 1913) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Lake Matano, Sulawesi, Indonesia, type locality

Glossogobius minutus Geevarghese & John 1983 Latin for small, referring to small size compared to congeners known at the time

Glossogobius multipapillus Hoese & Allen 2015 multi– (L.), many; papillus, unnecessary masculinization of papilla (L.), teat or nipple, referring to multiple rows of papillae on cheek

Glossogobius munroi Hoese & Allen 2012 in honor of Australian ichthyologist Ian S. R. Munro (1919–1994), who collected and accumulated material of Glossogobius from Australia and New Guinea

Glossogobius muscorum Hoese & Allen 2009 misspelling of muscarum, genitive plural of musca (L.), fly, referring to Fly River, Papua New Guinea, type locality, i.e., “of the Fly” [muscorum is Latin for of mosses]

Glossogobius nanus Hoese, Allen & Hadiaty 2017 Latin for small or dwarf, referring to its small size (up to ~50 mm SL)

Glossogobius obscuripinnis (Peters 1868) obscurus (L.), dark or indistinct; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to any or all of the following: broad blackish crossband across middle of first dorsal fin, five rows of black spots forming wavy lines on second dorsal fin, dusky lower part of caudal fin, dusky pectoral fins, dusky to black anal and ventral fins

Glossogobius olivaceus (Temminck & Schlegel 1845) Latin for olive-colored, referring to its predominant color in life

Glossogobius pavo (Steindachner 1867) Latin for peacock, probably referring to four large black spots along lateral line, and two deep-black spots, separated by a light-yellow spot, behind fifth spine of first dorsal fin

Glossogobius pumilus Hoese, Allen & Hadiaty 2017 Latin for dwarfish or diminutive, referring to its small size (24–41 mm SL)

Glossogobius quindecimradiatus Endruweit 2024 quindecim (L.), fifteen; radiatus (L.), rayed, referring to 15 rays in the pectoral fin

Glossogobius robertsi Hoese & Allen 2009 in honor of American ichthyologist Tyson R. Roberts (1940–2025), who collected most of the type material

Glossogobius sandakanensis Inger 1957 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Sandakan, northern Borneo, type locality 

Glossogobius sentaniensis Hoese & Allen 2015 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Lake Sentani, New Guinea, type locality

Glossogobius sparsipapillus Akihito & Meguro 1976 sparsus (L.), sparse or few; papillus, unnecessary masculinization of papilla (L.), teat or nipple referring to irregularly scattered rows of pit organs on opercle

Glossogobius tenuiformis Fowler 1934 tenuis (L.), thin or slender; formis, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of forma (L.), shape or form, referring to its slenderer body compared with G. giuris

Glossogobius torrentis Hoese & Allen 1990 -is, genitive singular of: torrens (L.), swift water, referring to its occurrence in swift mountain streams at elevations between 200 and 1800 m

Gobiodon Bleeker 1856 gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to pair of posterior canines near symphysis of lower jaw of G. heterospilos

Gobiodon acicularis Harold & Winterbottom 1995 Latin for needle-like, referring to elongated first dorsal-fin spine, characteristic of this species

Gobiodon albofasciatus Sawada & Arai 1972 albus (L.), white; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to broad whitish longitudinal band along lateral line

Gobiodon albolineatus Smith 1959 albus (L.), white; lineatus (L.), lined, referring to “sharply defined light line” along base of dorsal and anal fins

Gobiodon aoyagii Shibukawa, Suzuki & Aizawa 2013 in honor of the late Hyoji Aoyagi (1912–1971), Japanese ichthyologist who first provided accounts of this species from Japan (as G. rivulatus) with an “excellent” illustration

Gobiodon ater Herler, Bogorodsky & Suzuki 2013 Latin for black, referring to its uniformly black coloration in life, including the eye

Gobiodon atrangulatus Garman 1903 atra-, from ater (L.), black, angulatus (L.), with corners or angled, referring to small black spot on “upper angle” of gill cover

Gobiodon axillaris De Vis 1884 Latin for of an axil, referring to blackish-red spot above axil of pectoral fin

Gobiodon bicalvolineatus Hildebrandt, Froehlich, Brodnicke, Klanten, Møller & Wong 2024 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; calvus (L.), bald; lineatus (L.), lined, referring to two pale patches at the back of the head imitating baldness and the prominent lined pattern on the body

Gobiodon bilineatus Herler, Bogorodsky & Suzuki 2013 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; lineatus (L.), lined, referring to two distinct, bright-blue lines through eye, the only distinct color pattern it retains from juvenile to large adult

Gobiodon brochus Harold & Winterbottom 1999 Latin for projecting (particularly the teeth), referring to its “uniquely derived” lower jaw, modified anteromedially into a dentigerous, fleshy projection and a row of elongate, transversely oriented papillae in ventral portion of cheek

Gobiodon ceramensis (Bleeker 1853) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Ceram, Indonesia, type locality

Gobiodon citrinus (Rüppell 1838) Latin for like a citron (a lemon-like fruit), referring to yellow body and fins

Gobiodon cobenjaminsis Hildebrandt, Froehlich, Brodnicke, Klanten, Møller & Wong 2024 co– (L.), with or together; –is, Latin genitive plural of: the Benjamin family, especially Max Benjamin (1947–2020), owners of Walindi Diving Resort in New Britain, Papua New Guinea, for their contribution to research, field station set-up, and marine conservation in Kimbe Bay (type locality), which resulted in the observation and collection of this species

Gobiodon erythrospilus Bleeker 1875 erythrós (ἐρυθρός), red; spílos (σπίλος), mark or spot, referring to stripes and spots on head and body a “beautiful carmine” (translation)

Gobiodon fulvus Herre 1927 Latin for tawny or brownish yellow, referring to uniform pale-brown color in alcohol

Gobiodon fuscoruber Herler, Bogorodski & Suzuki 2013 fuscus (L.), dark or dusky; ruber (L.), red, referring to its uniformly reddish-brown color in life

Gobiodon heterospilos Bleeker 1856 héteros (ἕτερος), different; spílos (σπίλος), mark or spot, presumably referring to numerous round and oval black spots on head and tail, and complete absence of spots on body and other fins

Gobiodon histrio (Valenciennes 1837) Latin for stage player or actor but used here to mean harlequin; coined by Kuhl & van Hasselt, presumably referring (per Valenciennes) to its resemblance to the Sargassum Fish, Lophius (now Histrio) histrio, but more likely referring to its gaudily striped pattern

Gobiodon howsoni Allen 2021 in honor of long-time friend Craig Howson, owner of the “luxurious” Australian cruise ship True North, who provided Allen with numerous collecting and diving opportunities in the Australia-New Guinea region, resulting in the discovery of several new species, including this one [Allen “revalidated” the name in 2023 but his original publication is ICZN-available]

Gobiodon irregularis Herler, Bogorodsky & Suzuki 2013 Latin for irregular, referring to its variable coloration, “in particular its irregular red wavy lines on the head and upper body in juveniles and subadults”

Gobiodon limmoni Wibowo, Harefa, Mokodongan, Priyadi & Peristiwady 2026 in honor of marine biologist Gino V. Limmon (Pattimura University), who “generously” supported the ichthyofaunal survey in waters surrounding the Moluccas, Indonesia, during which holotype was collected

Gobiodon micropus Günther 1861 micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small; pus, from poús (πούς), foot, referring to its “very short” ventral-fin disc, “not quite one-half the length of the head, not adherent to the belly”

Gobiodon multilineatus Wu 1979 multi– (L.), many; lineatus (L.), lined, referring to 10–12 bluish transverse lines descending from back towards belly and 4–6 bluish transverse lines on head

Gobiodon oculolineatus Wu 1979 oculo, from oculus (L), eye; lineatus (L.), lined, referring to two bluish transverse eyes originating under eye

Gobiodon okinawae Sawada, Arai & Abe 1972 of Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, Japan, type locality

Gobiodon prolixus Winterbottom & Harold 2005 Latin for long, extended or drawn out, referring to its more elongate body compared with congeners

Gobiodon quinquestrigatus (Valenciennes 1837) quinque (L.), five; strigatus (L.), furrowed or grooved, referring to five narrow, vertical, white lines, two on cheek, two on operculum, one near base of chest

Gobiodon reticulatus Playfair 1867 Latin for net-like or netted, referring to “network of darker lines” between small whitish spots that create a net-like pattern on posterior part of trunk and tail

Gobiodon rivulatus (Rüppell 1830) Latin for marked by irregular streaks, referring to “carmine-red labyrinthine lines” (translation) on amber-green body

Gobiodon spadix Sato & Motomura 2024 Latin for reddish-brown, referring to ground coloration of head and body

Gobiodon spilophthalmus Fowler 1944 spílos (σπίλος), mark or spot; ophthalmós (ὀφθαλμός), eye, presumably referring to large, blackish brown spots on head

Gobiodon unicolor (Castelnau 1873) uni-, from unus (L.), one, presumably referring to its light, apparently uniform, reddish-brown color “after dessication”

Gobiodon winterbottomi Suzuki, Yanao & Senou 2012 in honor of Zambian-born Canadian ichthyologist Richard Winterbottom (b. 1944), Royal Ontario Museum, for his “great” contribution to our knowledge of the gobioid systematics

Gobiopsis Steindachner 1861 ópsis (ὄψις), appearance: referring to its resemblance to Gobius and/or previous placement (in a manuscript by Heckel) of G. macrostomus in that genus

Gobiopsis angustifrons Lachner & McKinney 1978 angustus (L.), narrow; frons (L.), brow or forehead, presumably referring to its narrow head

Gobiopsis arenaria (Snyder 1908) Latin for sandy or inhabiting sand, referring to its occurrence in sandy pools

Gobiopsis atrata (Griffin 1933) Latin for dressed in black, presumably referring to dull purple-brown color below lateral line and/or dark brown bases of caudal, pectoral and ventral fins

Gobiopsis bravoi (Herre 1940) in honor of Pablo Bravo, Herre’s scientific illustrator for many years

Gobiopsis canalis Lachner & McKinney 1978 Latin for canal or channel, referring to “unique extension of the preopercular canal from the lower POP pore dorsally to join the lateral cephalic canal”

Gobiopsis exigua Lachner & McKinney 1979 Latin for little, short or scanty, referring to short, poorly developed head barbels

Gobiopsis jackbrooksi Allen, Erdmann & Brooks 2018 in honor of John (“Jack”) Moldaw Brooks, the third author’s son (see also Priolepis billbrooksi and Tomiyamichthys stuarti)

Gobiopsis liolepis (Koumans 1931) leī́os (λεῖος) smooth; lepίs (λεπίς), scale, presumably referring to its cycloid scales

Gobiopsis macrostomus Steindachner 1861 macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; stomus, from stóma (στόμα), mouth, referring to its “very wide and gaping” mouth (translation) [genus is feminine but name is treated as a noun]

Gobiopsis malekulae (Herre 1935) of Malekula Island, Vanuatu, type locality

Gobiopsis namnas Shibukawa 2010 abbreviation of National Museum of Nature and Science (Tokyo, Japan), which conducted the deep-water biological survey during which type series was collected

Gobiopsis pinto (Smith 1947) in honor of Adolfo Abranches Pinto (1895–1981), Military Commander of Mozambique, where this goby is endemic; Smith proposed a new genus for this species, Abranches, so that its original name, Abranches pinto, matched that of the honoree [presumably a noun in apposition, without the genitive “i”]

Gobiopsis quinquecincta (Smith 1931) quinque (L.), five; cincta (L.), belted or girdled, referring to five irregular reddish-brown cross-bands meeting on back and reaching more than half distance to median ventral line

Gobiopsis springeri Lachner & McKinney 1979 in honor of American ichthyologist Victor G. Springer (1928–2022), U.S. National Museum, who collected type

Gobiopsis uranophilus Prokofiev 2016 ouranós (οὐρανός), heaven or sky; philos, phílos (φίλος), friend, referring to dorsal orientation of eyes, similar to the stargazer family Uranoscopidae [usually –philus (fond of) names are adjectives but its use here is as a noun (A. Prokofiev, pers. comm.), so spelling does not need to be emended to agree with the feminine Gobiopsis]

Gobiopsis woodsi Lachner & McKinney 1978 in honor of Loren P. Woods (1914–1979), Curator of Fishes, Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago), who collected all but two of the known specimens at the time

Gobiosoma Girard 1858 gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby, and sṓma (σῶμα), body, allusion not explained; Girard established this genus for species of Gobius that are “deprived of scales”

Gobiosoma aceras (Ginsburg 1939) ἀ-, privative, i.e., without; ceras, from kéras (κεράς), horn, presumably referring to absence of flaps on snout

Gobiosoma alfiei Joyeux & Macieira 2015 in honor of Alfredo (“Alfie”) Carvalho-Filho (b. 1950), a “self-made ichthyologist in his spare time, for his contribution to the advancement in the diversity and taxonomy of Brazilian marine fishes and his friendship”

Gobiosoma bosc (Lacepède 1800) in honor of French naturalist Louis-Augustin Bosc d’Antic (1759–1828), whose manuscript provided the basis of Lacepède’s description [presumably a noun in apposition, without the genitive “i”]

Gobiosoma chiquita (Jenkins & Evermann 1889) diminutive of the Spanish (for its occurrence in western México) chico, a little one, referring to its size: it “seems to be one of the smallest gobies, the largest of our specimens being but 27mm long”

Gobiosoma ginsburgi Hildebrand & Schroeder 1928 in honor of colleague Isaac Ginsburg (1886–1975), goby taxonomist, U.S. National Museum, who identified many gobies for the authors’ monograph on fishes of Chesapeake Bay, and called attention to how this species differed from G. bosc

Gobiosoma grosvenori (Robins 1964) in honor of Gilbert H. Grosvenor (1875–1966), former president of the National Geographic Society, which supported the reef research that found this species

Gobiosoma hemigymnum (Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1888) half-naked, from hḗmisys (ἥμισυς), half, and gymnós (γυμνός), bare or naked, referring to scaleless anterior half of body

Gobiosoma hildebrandi (Ginsburg 1939) in honor of American ichthyologist Samuel F. Hildebrand (1883–1949), colleague at the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, who collected holotype

Gobiosoma homochroma (Ginsburg 1939) homós (ὁμός), same; chrṓma (χρῶμα), skin or color, referring to its body color, “nearly uniformly and very moderately dusky”

Gobiosoma longipala Ginsburg 1933 longus (L.), long; pala (L.), shovel, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to middle rays of ventral disk reaching anal-fin origin

Gobiosoma nudum (Meek & Hildebrand 1928) Latin for bare or naked, its “scales wanting”

Gobiosoma paradoxum (Günther 1861) Latin for strange or contrary to expectation, allusion not explained nor evident [name seems more appropriate for G. seminudum, described in the same monograph: it has “such peculiar characteristics that it will be readily recognized. It has no natural affinity to the other small-scaled Gobies, which generally have an elongate form.”]

Gobiosoma robustum Ginsburg 1933 Latin for of oak or oaken and, by extension, hard, firm or solid (but often used by ichthyologists to mean fat or stout), referring to its “quite short and stocky” body

Gobiosoma schultzi (Ginsburg 1944) in honor of Leonard P. Schultz (1901–1986), Curator of Fishes, U.S. National Museum (and Ginsburg’s boss), who collected holotype and provided notes on its ecology

Gobiosoma seminudum (Günther 1861) semi-, from semis (L.), a half or moiety; nudum (L.), bare or naked, referring to scaleless head and anterior portion of trunk, and “exceedingly small” scales on sides, becoming somewhat larger posteriorly

Gobiosoma spes (Ginsburg 1939) Latin for hope, referring to Mt. Hope, Panama Canal Zone, type locality

Gobiosoma spilotum (Ginsburg 1939) from spilōtós (σπιλωτός), marked or stained, presumably referring to a longitudinal median row of spots

Gobiosoma yucatanum Dawson 1971 -anum (L.), belonging to: Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, where type locality (Quintana Roo) is situated

Gobius Linnaeus 1758 gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Gobius ater Bellotti 1888 Latin for black, referring to often uniformly black vertical and caudal fins (sometimes with small grayish spots)

Gobius ateriformis Brito & Miller 2001 ormis, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of forma (L.), shape or form, referring to its superficial resemblance to G. ater

Gobius auratus Risso 1810 Latin for gilded, referring to its golden-yellow body

Gobius bucchichi Steindachner 1870 in honor of Steindachner’s “highly esteemed friend” (translation), Croatian naturalist Gregorio Bucchich (1829–1911, also known as Grgo Bučić), who collected holotype

Gobius cobitis Pallas 1814 from kōbī́tis (κωβῖτις), ancient Greek name for small fishes that bury in the bottom and/or are like a gudgeon or goby

Gobius couchi Miller & El-Tawil 1974 in honor of Jonathan Couch (1789–1870), “that indefatigable ichthyologist of Cornwall” (Yarrell, 1836) and author of A History of the Fishes of the British Islands (1862–67)

Gobius cruentatus Gmelin 1789 Latin for blood-stained or bloody, presumably referring to red markings or blotches around mouth

Gobius fallax Sarato 1889 Latin for false or deceitful, referring to its previous misidentification as either G. auratus, G. geniporus or G. ophiocephalus

Gobius gasteveni Miller 1974 in honor of British zoologist G. A. (George Alexander) Steven (1901–1958), who worked extensively on the fishes of the western English Channel and was one of the first to recognize this goby as a species new to the area

Gobius geniporus Valenciennes 1837 génys (γένυς), jaw (usually the cheek or lower jaw in ichthyology); porus, from póros (πόρος), hole or pore, referring to 4–5 large pores along edge of preoperculum

Gobius incognitus Kovačić & Šanda 2016 Latin for unknown, referring to relatively long period of time that passed until this common and widespread species (previously reported as G. bucchichi) was recognized and described

Gobius kolombatovici Kovačić & Miller 2000 in honor of Juraj Kolombatović (1843–1908), professor of mathematics, “one of the most important” Croatian taxonomists, and the only Croatian naturalist to have worked “intensively” on small inshore fishes (Blenniidae, Gobiidae, Tripterygiidae)

Gobius koseirensis Klunzinger 1871 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Koseir, Latinization of Quasir, referring to Al-Qusair, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt, type locality

Gobius luteus Kolombatović 1891 Latin for yellow, referring to it golden-yellow coloration

Gobius niger Linnaeus 1758 Latin for black, referring to its dark-brown color with indistinct black blotches, with males becoming almost black during the breeding season

Gobius niger jozo Linnaeus 1758 name for this goby in Rome, dating to at least Salviani’s Aquatilium animalium (1554)

Gobius paganellus Linnaeus 1758 Latinization of paganelli, Venetian name for this goby according to Rondelet’s Libri de piscibus marinis (1554)

Gobius roulei de Buen 1928 in honor of French zoologist Louis Roule (1861–1942), who collected holotype

Gobius rubropunctatus Delais 1951 rubro-, from ruber (L.), red; punctatus (L.), spotted, presumably referring to four orange spots at upper part of inner edge of pectoral fin

Gobius salamansa Iglésias, Frotté & Sellos 2015 named for the village of Salamansa, on the island of São Vicente, Cabo Verde, only known area of occurrence

Gobius scorteccii Poll 1961 in honor of Italian herpetologist Giuseppe Scortecci (1898–1973), University of Genoa, who collected holotype

Gobius senegambiensis Metzelaar 1919 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Senegambia, a region of west Africa occupying the area of present-day Senegal and Gambia, perhaps referring to type locality, Cansado Bay (now in present-day Mauritiana, immediately north of Senegal)

Gobius tetrophthalmus Brito & Miller 2001 tetrá (τετρά), four; ophthalmós (ὀφθαλμός), eye, referring to the impression of four eyes when a living specimen is viewed from above, the pale ocellus in dark band crossing the upper border of each eye lying median to the dark pupil and pale sclera of the eye itself (possibly obscured in preserved specimens)

Gobius vittatus Vinciguerra 1883 Latin for striped, referring to chestnut-black stripe extending from snout to base of caudal fin

Gobius xanthocephalus Heymer & Zander 1992 xanthós (ξανθός), yellow; cephalus, from kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, upper part of head described as “canary yellow” (translation)

Gobius xoriguer Iglésias, Vukić & Šanda 2021 Catalan name for the Common Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus, a familiar falcon in Menorca, Balearic Islands (Spain), where first specimen (but not holotype) was collected; both goby and kestrel share an orange-brown coloration

Gobius (subgenus
Zosterisessor) Whitley 1935 Zostera, marine eelgrass genus; sessor (L.), inhabitant, referring to occurrence of G. ophiocephalus in eelgrass meadows [replacement name for Zostericola Iljin 1927 (-cola, Latin for dweller or inhabitant), preoccupied in Mollusca]

Gobius ophiocephalus Pallas 1814 óphis (ὄφις), serpent; cephalus, from kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to snake-like cycloid scales on head

Gobulus Ginsburg 1933 etymology not explained, possibly a diminutive of Gobius, reflecting Ginsburg’s belief that this genus was transitional between the families Eleotridae and Gobiidae

Gobulus birdsongi Hoese & Reader 2001 in honor of American ichthyologist Ray S. Birdsong (1935–1995), “a long time friend and colleague of the senior author, who provided valuable assistance and inspiration to [his] goby work”

Gobulus crescentalis (Gilbert 1892) scientific Neo-Latin for pertaining to a crescent, referring to a conspicuous brown crescent at base of caudal and pectoral fins

Gobulus hancocki Ginsburg 1938 in honor of Capt. George Allan Hancock (1875-1965), oil magnate and philanthropist, who led expedition during which holotype was collected, for his interest in the scientific exploration of Pacific waters

Gobulus myersi Ginsburg 1939 in honor of Stanford University ichthyologist George S. Myers (1905–1985), “who discovered and salvaged the type from a lot of neglected, unidentified, miscellaneous material while he was in charge of the Division of Fishes in the [U.S.] National Museum”

Gorogobius Miller 1978 goro, named for Gorée, off Dakar, Senegal, type locality of G. nigricinctus; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Gorogobius nigricinctus (Delais 1951) nigri-, from niger (L.), black; cinctus (L.), girdle or belt, referring to numerous transverse, dark bands on head and encircling body

Gorogobius stevcici Kovačić & Schliewen 2008 in honor of Croatian carcinologist Zdravko Števčić (1931–2018), who encouraged and helped the first author in the beginning of his work on gobies

Grallenia Shibukawa & Iwata 2007 -ia (L. suffix), belonging to: ichthyologist Gerald R. Allen (G + R + Allen, b. 1942), Western Australia Museum (Perth), for his “great” contribution to our knowledge of the diversity of coral-reef fishes

Grallenia arenicola Shibukawa & Iwata 2007 arena (L.), sand; –cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, referring to sandy substrate habitat

Grallenia baliensis Allen & Erdmann 2012 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Bali, Indonesia, type locality

Grallenia cinnamea Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2024 Latin for of cinnamon, referring to the large, cinnamon-colored patch on side of abdomen

Grallenia compta Allen & Erdmann 2017 Latin for ornamented or adorned, referring to orange markings on head, body and fins

Grallenia dimorpha Allen & Erdmann 2017 di-, from dýo (δύο), two; morpha, from morphḗ (μορφή), form, referring to sexually dimorphic first dorsal fins (male fin rectangular with fifth spine longest and female fin triangular with first spine forming elongate filament)

Grallenia emarginata Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2024 Latin for emarginate or notched, referring to the shape of its caudal fin

Grallenia larsonae Allen & Hammer 2018 in honor of Helen K. Larson, Curator of Fishes, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (Darwin, Australia), for her “extensive contribution to goby taxonomy and systematics, and who collected and carefully preserved most of the type specimens”

Grallenia lauensis Allen & Erdmann 2017 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Lau Archipelago (Fiji), type locality

Grallenia lipi Shibukawa & Iwata 2007 acronym of Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia (Indonesian Institute of Science), referring to the fact that all examined specimens were captured during the JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science)-LIPI cooperative research on marine science at Ambon Island in 1999

Grallenia nigrifasciata Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2024 nigri-, from niger (L.), black; fasicata (L.), banded, referring to basal black stripe on dorsal fins, its most conspicuous color marking in preserved specimens

Grallenia nigrimarginata Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2024 nigri-, from niger (L.), black; marginata (L.), edged or bordered, referring to black margin on male anal fin

Grallenia ornata Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2024 Latin for ornate or decorated, referring to its unique female color phase, similar to that of males for other congeners

Grallenia rubrilineata Allen & Erdmann 2017 rubri-, from ruber (L.), red; lineata (L.), lined, referring to distinctive basal red or red-edged black stripe on both dorsal fins of adult males

Grallenia solomonensis Allen & Erdmann 2017 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Solomon Islands, type locality

Grallenia sundaensis Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2024 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia, where it occurs

Grallenia wandammenensis Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2024 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Wandammen Peninsula, Cenderawasih Bay, West Papua Province, Indonesia, type locality

Gymneleotris Bleeker 1874 gymnós (γυμνός), bare or nake, referring to scaleless head and trunk of G. seminuda; Eleotris, referring to previous placement in that genus and/or reflecting Bleeker’s classification of this taxon in a phalanx he called Eleotrini

Gymneleotris seminuda (Günther 1864) semi-, from semis (L.), a half or moiety; nuda (L.), bare or naked, referring to scaleless head and trunk but scaled tail

Gymnesigobius Kovačić, Ordines, Ramirez-Amaro & Schliewen 2019 named for Gymnesian Islands, Greek name for Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean, only known area of occurrence; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Gymnesigobius medits Kovačić, Ordines, Ramirez-Amaro & Schliewen 2019 named for MEDITS (International bottom trawl survey in the Mediterranean), whose work made the discovery of this species possible

Hazeus Jordan & Snyder 1901 Latinization of haze, Japanese name for a small goby

Hazeus ammophilus Allen & Erdmann 2023 sand-loving, from ámmos or hámmos (ᾰ̓́μμος or ἅμμος), sand, phílos (φίλος), fond of, referring to its predilection for sand-bottom habitats [name proposed in 2021 but not made available until 2023]

Hazeus atrispinalis Momose 2026 atri-, from ater (L.), black; spinalis (L.), of or belonging to the spine, referring to black markings internally along the vertebral column in living specimens

Hazeus elati (Goren 1984) of Elat (also spelled Eliat), Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea, northern Red Sea, Israel, type locality

Hazeus ingressus Engin, Larson & Irmak 2018 Latin for entering or going in, referring to how this goby, described from Turkey but likely native to the Red Sea, presumably entered the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal

Hazeus maculipinna (Randall & Goren 1993) macula (L.), spot or mark; pinna (L.), fin, referring to black spot on first dorsal fin

Hazeus nephodes (Jordan 1925) Greek (νεφώδης) for 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]

Hazeus otakii Jordan & Snyder 190 1in honor of Keinosuke Otaki (d. 1911), Professor of English at the Imperial Military Academy of Tokyo and a former zoology student at Stanford University (where Jordan was president), who accompanied the authors in their travels through northern Japan, and to whom they were indebted for many favors (e.g., interpreter and secretary)

Hazeus paucisquamatus Allen, Erdmann & Brooks 2024 paucus (L.), few or scanty; squamatus (L.) scaly, referring to its reduced preopercular scalation (three scales on upper rear corner)

Hazeus profusus Allen & Erdmann 2023 Latin for abundant or profuse, referring to its abundance on sand-bottom habitats [name proposed in 2021 but not made available until 2023]

Hetereleotris Bleeker 1874 héteros (ἕτερος), different, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its main difference (ctenoid scales) from Brachyeleotris (=Asterropteryx, described in the same paper, cycloid scales); Eleotris, perhaps reflecting Bleeker’s classification of this taxon in a phalanx he called Eleotrini

Hetereleotris aporus (Hoese & Winterbottom 1979) ἄ, privative, i.e., without; porus, from póros (πόρος), hole or pore, referring to lack of sensory canal openings on head [often misspelled apora]

Hetereleotris aurantiaca Kovačić, Bogorodsky & Mal 2019 Latin for orange-colored, referring to prevalence of orange color in head, body and fin rays

Hetereleotris bipunctata Tortonese 1976 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; punctata (L.), spotted, referring to rounded black blotch immediately behind head above gill opening, and a second one at upper part of caudal-fin base

Hetereleotris caminata (Smith 1958) Latin for shaped like an oven, allusion not explained nor evident

Hetereleotris diademata (Rüppell 1830) Latin for adorned with a diadem (a cloth headband, sometimes adorned with jewels, formerly worn by monarchs in Asia Minor and other parts of the East), probably referring to brown stripe that passes over forehead and through eyes to operculum

Hetereleotris dorsovittata Kovačić & Bogorodsky 2014 dorsum (L.), back; vittata (L.), banded, referring to longitudinal black submarginal bands on first and second dorsal fins

Hetereleotris exilis Shibukawa 2010 Latin for thin or slender, referring to its very slender body, unique in the genus

Hetereleotris georgegilli Gill 1998 in honor of the author’s father, George Burton Gill (1925–1994)

Hetereleotris kenyae Smith 1958 of northern Kenya, where type locality (Vuma) is situated

Hetereleotris margaretae Hoese 1986 in honor of Margaret Mary Smith (1916–1987), first director of the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology (now the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity)

Hetereleotris nasoramosa Kovačić, Bogorodsky, Zajonz & Tornabene 2021 naso (L.), long-nosed (authors say nose); ramosa (L.), full of branches, referring to well-developed, branched process extending from rims of both anterior and posterior nostrils

Hetereleotris nebulofasciata (Smith 1958) nebulosus (L.), dark or cloudy; fasciata (L.), banded, presumably referring to 5–6 crossbars formed by brown “specklings” and/or dusky bar down over cheek from hind part of eye

Hetereleotris poecila (Fowler 1946) from poikílos (ποικίλος), varicolored or mottled, referring to dark-brown bands on pectoral fins, first deflected backwards below, then in “pale intervals each with several dark spots”

Hetereleotris psammophila Kovačić & Bogorodsky 2014 psámmos (ψάμμος), sand; phila, from phílos (φίλος), fond of, referring to its sand-bottom habitat

Hetereleotris semisquamata Kovačić, Bogorodsky & Mal 2019 semi-, from semis (L.), a half or moiety; squamata (L.), scaled, refers to reduced squamation, tapering from caudal-fin base along lateral midline towards pectoral fin, nearly reaching its base, the belly scaleless

Hetereleotris tentaculata (Smith 1958) -ata (L.), provided with: tentacule (L.), feeler, i.e., small tentacle, referring to a large fleshy tentacle above each eye

Hetereleotris vinsoni Hoese 1986 in honor of Jean-Michel Vinson, Mauritian zoologist and scientific illustrator, who illustrated the types of H. margaretae and this species, as well as other gobiid species

Hetereleotris vulgaris (Klunzinger 1871) Latin for common, described as “very common” (translation) among Stylophora coral in the Red Sea

Hetereleotris zanzibarensis (Smith 1958) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Zanzibar, Tanzania, western Indian Ocean, type locality

Hetereleotris zonata (Fowler 1934) Latin for banded, referring to its broad, blackish-brown bands, one obliquely down from eye toward preopercular angle, and a broader band below first dorsal fin

Heterogobius Bleeker 1874 héteros (ἕτερος), different, distinguished from all other gobies in having a deeply emarginate tail; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby [genus inquirenda; holotype lost and probably not a goby]

Heterogobius chiloensis (Guichenot 1848) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Isla de Chiloé, near San Carlos, Chile, type locality [species inquirenda; holotype lost and probably not a goby]

Heteroplopomus Tomiyama 1936 etymology not explained, perhaps héteros (ἕτερος), different; [h]oplo, armed; pomus, from pṓma (πῶμα), lid or cover, i.e., opercle, “distinguished from other genera of Gobiidae by the presence of a pair of weak spines directed forward from the inner margin of lower jaw”

Heteroplopomus barbatus (Tomiyama 1934) Latin for bearded, referring to small barbel on end of lower lip (a characteristic that easily distinguished this goby from its presumed Japanese congeners in Rhinogobius [Oxudercidae])

Istigobius Whitley 1932 isti-, etymology not explained; proposed as a subgenus of Gobius, perhaps derived from the adjectival superlative –istos (-ιστος) referring to “larger scales, and longer caudal peduncle” of I. stephensoni (=ornatus) compared with “true Palearctic” Gobius

Istigobius campbelli (Jordan & Snyder 1901) in honor of botanist Douglas Houghton Campbell (1859–1953), Stanford University (California, USA), for his interest in the flora of Japan and “in all things Japanese”

Istigobius decoratus (Herre 1927) Latin for adorned, “a very handsome little fish and well deserves the name decoratus, adorned”

Istigobius diadema (Steindachner 1876) Latin for diadem, 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 American-born Australian ichthyologist Douglass F. Hoese (b. 1942), Australian Museum (Sydney), for his contributions towards a better understanding of gobioid systematics [Hoese returned the favor in 2018]

Istigobius hoshinonis (Tanaka 1917) -is (L.), genitive singular of: Isaburo Hoshino (no other information available), who obtained holotype

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 genitive “i”]

Istigobius murdyi Hoese & Erdmann 2018 in honor of American ichthyologist Edward O. Murdy, George Washington University (Washington, D.C.), who “pioneered” research on this genus

Istigobius nigroocellatus (Günther 1873) nigro-, from niger (L.), black; ocellatus (L.), having little eyes (ocelli) or spots, referring to two rows of deep-black, brightly fringed ocelli along the sides

Istigobius ornatus (Rüppell 1830) Latin for decorated or adorned, 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 (L.), 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 genitive “i”]

Kelloggella Jordan & Seale 1905 -ella (L.), diminutive connoting endearment: entomologist Vernon Lyman Kellogg (1867–1937), Stanford University (California, USA), 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 zoological Neo-Latin for red (from the color of a Catholic cardinal’s cassock), 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), American 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) olígos (ὀλίγος), few or scanty; lepís (λεπίς), scale, referring to “apparently scaleless” body “with the exception of a few very minute scales on the posterior portion”

Kelloggella quindecimfasciata (Fowler 1946) quindecim (L.) fifteen; fasciata (L.) 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) tri– (L.), three; cuspidata (L.), pointed, referring to very broad and solid bands of strong tricuspid teeth on both jaws

Koumansetta Whitley 1940 -etta (L.), 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 Kovaĉić, 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), English-born Australian amateur naturalist and viticulturist, Queensland Agricultural Department, who collected specimens for the Australian Museum, including this goby (in 1924)

Larsonella Randall & Senou 2001 -ella (L.), diminutive connoting endearment: in honor of Helen K. 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 pumilus (Larson & Hoese 1980) Latin for dwarfish (but treated by authors as a noun, “dwarf fish”), referring to size (14.5 mm) of holotype

Lepusigobius Suzuki, Li & Chen 2025 Lepus, genus for hares and jackrabbit, referring to distinct clefted upper lip; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Lepusigobius pallidus (Herre 1934) Latin for pale or colorless, referring to its “old ivory” color in alcohol and/or its “colourless” fins [originally spelled pallida; emended to agree with masculine genus]

Lesueurigobius Whitley 1950 named for French naturalist Charles Alexandre Lesueur (1778–1846), for whom L. suerii (type species) was named; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a 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 héteros (ἕτερος), different; fasciatus (L.), 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, Italian 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, Neo-Latin anatomical term for small lobe, presumably referring to united ventral fins, with a “round lobe” on each side of basal membrane; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Lobulogobius morrigu Larson 1983 Morrigu, mythical Irish (or Celtic) war goddess, referring to sharp, pointed teeth in several rows on both jaws

Lobulogobius omanensis Koumans 1944 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Gulf of Oman, type locality

Lophogobius Gill 1862 lophus, from lóphos (λόφος), mane or crest, referring to “longitudinal coronal crest” of L. cristagalli (=cyprinoides); gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby [not to be confused with Lophiogobius in Oxudercidae]

Lophogobius cristulatus Ginsburg 1939 diminutive of cristatus (L.), crested, referring to its “low” nuchal crest, “strikingly lower” than L. cyprinoides

Lophogobius cyprinoides (Pallas 1770) -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: cyprinus, from kyprī́nos (κυπρῖνος), carp, referring to its short and deep body, similar to a carp

Lotilia Klausewitz 1960 -ia (L. suffix), 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 during which holotype was collected; 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

Lotilia graciliosa Klausewitz 1960 presumably a coined superlative of gracilis (L.), slender or graceful, allusion not explained but referring to its pretty and graceful appearance

Lotilia klausewitzi Shibukawa, Suzuki & Senou 2012 in honor of German ichthyologist Wolfgang Klausewitz (1922–2018), Senckenberg Museum (Frankfurt, Germany), who described many Indo-Pacific fishes, including the genus Lotilia

Lubricogobius Tanaka 1915 lubricus (L.), slippery, presumably referring to absence of scales; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a 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 genitive “ae”]

Lubricogobius exiguus Tanaka 1915 Latin for paltry or inadequate, presumably referring to its size, just 1.5 cm SL

Lubricogobius nanus Allen 2015 Latin for small or dwarf, referring to its small size (9.5–10.9 mm SL), the smallest in the genus

Lubricogobius ornatus Fourmanoir 1966 Latin for decorated or adorned, 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 rubrofasciatus Chen, Liao, Ho & Shao 202 4 rubro-, from ruber (L.), red; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to oblique bright red-orange stripe from nape to upper lip through eye

Lubricogobius tre Prokofiev 2009 named for Tre Island, Nha Trang Bay, Vietnam, off of which holotype was caught

Lubricogobius tunicatus Allen & Erdmann 2016 Latinized adjectival form of tunicate, referring to its commensal host

Luposicya Smith 1959 lupus (L.), wolf, probably referring to dentition of L. lupus; sicya, from sikýā (σικύα), gourd (but here referring to a suction cup or cupping glass, which, in earlier times, was made from a gourd), referring to its cup-shaped pelvic fins

Luposicya lupus Smith 1959 Latin for 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 lythron (λύθρον), gore, referring to coral-red body of L. dalii; hýpnos (ὕπνος), sleep, presumed to be related or similar to the sleeper gobies of Eleotris and Dormitator (Eleotridae)

Lythrypnus alphigena Bussing 1990 alphós (ἀλφός), a type of leprosy typified by dull-white lesions; gena, from génys (γένυς), chin, 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, Latin suffix denoting place: known only from the southwestern Atlantic of southern Brazil

Lythrypnus cobalus Bussing 1990 Latinization of kóbalos (κόβαλος), 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) Latin for crocodile, 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 elásson (ελάσσων), smaller or less, the smallest (12.9 mm SL) Atlantic species of the genus (at time of description)

Lythrypnus gilberti (Heller & Snodgrass 1903) in honor of American ichthyologist Charles Henry Gilbert (1859–1928), Stanford University (California, USA), who described two species later assigned to this genus in 1890

Lythrypnus heterochroma Ginsburg 1939 héteros (ἕτερος), different; chrṓma (χρῶμα), skin or color, referring to its “well marked diphasic color pattern, transversely banded anteriorly, longitudinally banded posteriorly”

Lythrypnus insularis Bussing 1990 Latin for of islands, 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 (California, USA), 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 Latin for least, referring to its size, up to 14.0 mm TL and 11.0 mm SL, the smallest species in the genus

Lythrypnus mowbrayi (Bean 1906) in honor of Bermudan naturalist and aquarium director Louis L. Mowbray (1877–1952), who collected holotype, for his “intelligent and effective work” in collecting Bermudian fishes

Lythrypnus nesiotes Böhlke & Robins 1960 nēsiṓtēs (νησιώτης), 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 -ellus (L.), diminutive suffix; phṓr (φώρ), thief, referring to its barred color pattern (presumably like the black and white horizontal striped long-sleeve shirt seen in classic or cartoon robber costumes)

Lythrypnus pulchellus Ginsburg 1938 diminutive of pulcher (L.), 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, Latin suffix denoting place: Bahía Solano (a town and an inlet), Departamento del Chocó, Colombia, type locality

Lythrypnus spilus Böhlke & Robins 1960 from spílos (σπίλος), mark or spot, 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-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large, and odonto, Neo-Latin combining form of odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to two “enormous” solid incisors side by side on the vomer extending clear across roof of mouth; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Macrodontogobius wilburi Herre 1936 in honor of American physician Ray Lyman Wilbur (1875–1949), third President of Stanford University (California, USA, 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 (L. suffix), 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) scientific Neo-Latin adjective of mýstax (μύσταξ), moustache, 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 (L.), few or scanty; pora (L.), pored, referring to reduced pattern of cephalic sensory canal pores compared with M. mystacina

Mangarinus Herre 1943 -inus (L.), belonging to: Mangarin, Mindoro, Philippines, type locality of M. waterousi

Mangarinus seshaiyai (Jacob & Rangarajan 1960) in honor of Rebala Venkata Seshaiya (1898–1973), Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology (Annamalai University, Porto Novo, India), “in appreciation of his devotion to zoology”

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 (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a 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 & Kovaĉić 2018) -arum (L.), 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 (1933–1996), University of Vienna, for introducing generations of students to the diversity of marine life

Mauligobius Miller 1984 named for German-born Portuguese ichthyologist-taxidermist Günther Edmund Maul (1909–1997), Museu Municipal do Funchal, his help in providing material and information used in Miller’s work on Macronesian gobies; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby [name first appeared in Miller (1981) but without type designation]

Mauligobius maderensis (Valenciennes 1837) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Madeira, type locality

Mauligobius nigri (Günther 1861) of the River Niger, type locality

Mesogobius Bleeker 1874 mésos (μέσος), 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 with 20 and 40)

Mesogobius batrachocephalus (Pallas 1814) batrachus, from bátrachos (βάτραχος), frog; cephalus, from kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to its large, depressed, frog-like head

Mesogobius nigronotatus (Kessler 1877) nigro-, from niger (L.), black; notatus (L.), marked, referring to black spot at tip of first dorsal fin

Mesogobius nonultimus (Iljin 1936) non (L.), not; ultimus (L.), 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

Microgobius Poey 1876 micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small, referring to size of M. signatus (described at 35-40 mm but reaches 60 mm TL); gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Microgobius brevispinis Ginsburg 1939 brevis (L.), short; spinus, from spinus (L.), thorn, presumably referring to shorter pre-dorsal spine compared with 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 Latin for saffron, referring to yellow markings on fins, body and lips

Microgobius curtus Ginsburg 1939 Latin for short, presumably referring to its size, described at 30 mm SL

Microgobius cyclolepis Gilbert 1890 cyclo-, from kýklos (κύκλος), ring or circle; lepís (λεπίς), scale, presumably referring to its small cycloid scales (but larger than those of the similar M. emblematicus)

Microgobius emblematicus (Jordan & Gilbert 1882) Latinized adjective from émblēma (ἔμβλημα), an embossed ornament (but used here to mean banner), referring to high rays of first dorsal fin

Microgobius erectus Ginsburg 1938 Latin for upright, probably referring to its nearly vertical mouth

Microgobius gulosus (Girard 1858) Latin for greedy or gluttonous, referring to its “large and very deeply cleft” mouth

Microgobius meeki Evermann & Marsh 189 9in honor of American ichthyologist Seth Eugene Meek (1859–1914), assistant curator of zoology, Field Columbian Museum (Chicago, USA)

Microgobius microlepis Longley & Hildebrand 1940 micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small; lepís (λεπίς), scale, referring to its “very small scales, which cannot be enumerated accurately”

Microgobius miraflorensis Gilbert & Starks 1904 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Miraflores, Colombia, type locality

Microgobius signatus Poey 1876 Latin for marked, presumably referring to short vertical stripe of burnished blue below first dorsal fin of males

Microgobius tabogensis Meek & Hildebrand 1928 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Taboga Island, Panama, type locality

Microgobius thalassinus (Jordan & Gilbert 1883) Latin for sea-green, from thálassa (θάλασσα), sea, 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 which collected holotype in 2003

Millerigobius Bath 1973 in honor of Peter J. Miller, University of Bristol, whose works have “fundamentally influenced the basics of goby taxonomy” (translation); gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Millerigobius macrocephalus (Kolombatović 1891) macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; cephalus, from kephalḗ (κεφαλή), 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 minýs (μινύς), less or smaller, referring to small adult size (up to 15 mm SL); sikýā (σικύα), gourd (but here referring to a suction cup, which, in earlier times, was made from a gourd), 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 cauda (L.), tail; maculata (L.), 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 (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Mizogobius koladynae Geetakumari & Vishwanath 2012 of the Koladyne River, Mizoram State, India, type locality

Myersina Herre 1934 -ina (L.), adjectival suffix: ichthyologist George S. Myers (1905–1985), U.S. National Museum, “my brilliant young friend and former colleague” [Paragobius Bleeker 1872 is a senior synonym but prevailing usage, based on no use in over 70 years applies]

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 Latin for banded or girdled (specifically, with a shoulder-band or baldric), referring to dark band around center of body

Myersina crocata (Wongratana 1975) Latin for saffron, referring to yellow or orange markings on head, body and fins

Myersina filifer (Valenciennes 1837) filum (L.), thread or filament; -fer, from fero (L.), to have or 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, U.S. National Museum, for his contributions to the systematics of gobioid fishes

Myersina macrostoma Herre 1934 macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; stóma (στόμα), mouth, referring to its “very large” mouth, with a prominent maxillary that extends back toward lower part of preopercle

Myersina nigrivirgata Akihito & Meguro 1983 nigri-, from niger (L.), black; virgata (L.), striped, referring to its characteristic black lateral band

Myersina papuana (Peters 1877) -anus (L.), 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 holotype

Myersina yangii (Chen 1960) in honor of Hung-Jia (spelled Hung-Chia in Pinyin) Yang, Taiwanese Fisheries Research Institute (Kaohsiung), who collected holotype

Nematogobius Boulenger 1910 nḗmatos (νήματος), threaded, referring to short nasal barbel of N. ansorgii (=maindroni); gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Nematogobius brachynemus Pfaff 1933 brachýs (βραχύς), short; nemus, unnecessary masculinization of nḗma (νῆμα), thread or yarn, referring to its very short mental barbels, shorter than those of N. ansorgii (=maindroni)

Nematogobius maindroni (Sauvage 1880) in honor of French entomologist Maurice Maindron (1857–1911), who collected holotype in Senegal

Neogobius Iljin 1927 néos (νέος), new, proposed as a new subgenus of Gobius [a museum name coined by L. S. Berg]

Neogobius bathybius (Kessler 1877) bathýs (βαθύς), deep; bíos (βίος), life, occurring in the Caspian Sea, at a depth down to 230.5 m

Neogobius caspius (Eichwald 1831) Latin for Caspian, referring to the Caspian Sea, where it is endemic

Neogobius fluviatilis (Pallas 1814) Latin for riverine or of a river, referring to its occurrence in the freshwater mouths of rivers entering the Black Sea

Neogobius melanostomus (Pallas 1814) black-mouthed, from mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black, and stóma (στόμα), mouth, described as having fleshy black lips, “labrus carnosis nigris” (a character not usually associated with this species)

Neogobius pallasi (Berg 1916) in honor of Prussian naturalist and explorer Peter Simon Pallas (1741–1811); proposed as a subspecies of N. fluviatilis, whose description of the species appeared posthumously in 1814

Nes Ginsburg 1933 etymology not explained, perhaps derived from nêsos (νῆσος), island, referring to occurrence of N. longus at or near islands (Key West, Bermuda, Aruba)

Nes longus (Nichols 1914) Latin for long, referring to its long and compressed body

Obliquogobius Koumans 1941 obliquus (L.), oblique, referring to obliquely pointed caudal fin of O. cometes; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Obliquogobius bathyalis Fricke 2022 -alis (L.), pertaining to: bathýs (βαθύς), deep, occurring in the upper bathyal depths (below 200 m) off New Caledonia, southwestern Pacific Ocean

Obliquogobius cirrifer Shibukawa & Aonuma 2007 cirrus (L.), tuft of hair or fringe; -fer, from fero (L.), to have or bear, referring to greatly prolonged, filamentous first spine of first dorsal fin of males

Obliquogobius cometes (Alcock 1890) Latin for 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 (L.), tawny or brownish-yellow (but often used to mean yellow in general); striatus (L.), grooved or furrowed (i.e., 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 mégas (μέγας), large or great; ṓps (ὦψ), eye, referring to larger eyes compared with O. cirrifer and O. yamadai

Obliquogobius trifasciatus Fujiwara & Shibukawa 2022 tri– (L.), three; fasciatus (L.), 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 (L. suffix), 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 (L.), belonging to: Balearic Islands, Spain, type locality

Ophiogobius Gill 1863 óphis (ὄφις), serpent, referring to snake-like appearance of head; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Ophiogobius jenynsi Hoese 1976 in honor of English clergyman-naturalist Leonard Jenyns (1800–1893), who described this goby as Gobius ophiocephalus in 1842, preoccupied by Gobius ophiocephalus Pallas 1811

Oplopomops Smith 1959 ṓps (ὦψ), eye or face (i.e., appearance), referring to its similarity to Oplopomus

Oplopomops diacanthus (Schultz 1943) di-, from dýo (δύο), two; acanthus, from ákantha (ἄκανθα), spine, referring to two strong spines, one at front of each dorsal fin

Oplopomus Valenciennes 1837 tautonymous with Gobius oplopomus Valenciennes 1837; genus proposed in synonymy, based on a manuscript description of “Oplopomus pulcher”by German zoologist Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg

Oplopomus caninoides (Bleeker 1852) -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: 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) oplo-, from hóplon (ὅπλον), shield or armor; pṓma (πῶμα), lid or cover, i.e., opercle, referring to 1–3 small spines on preopercular margin

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 (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a 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 genitive “i”]

Padogobius nigricans (Canestrini 1867) Latin for blackish, proposed as a subspecies of Gobius fluviatilis (=P. bonelli) in which the males have a black head, dorsal, anal and caudal fins, and brown pectoral and ventral fins

Paedovaricus Van Tassell, Tornabene & Gilmore 2016 paídeios (παίδειος), boyish or childish, root of the English prefix ped-, child, 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-, from palatum (L.), palate, referring to teeth that may be present on roof of mouth of P. paradoxus; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Palatogobius grandoculus Greenfield 2002 grandis (L.), large; oculus (L.), eye, referring to its very large eyes

Palatogobius incendius Tornabene & Baldwin 2017 adjective formed from incendium (L.), fire, referring to bright orange, yellow and reddish-pink coloration on body, head and fins

Palatogobius paradoxus Gilbert 1971 Latin for 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 nor evident

Palutrus meteori (Klausewitz & Zander 1967) in honor of the German research vessel Meteor, which collected holotype

Palutrus pruinosus (Jordan & Seale 1906) Latin for frosted, referring to a faint dusting of whitish on body, “as though frosted”

Palutrus pusillus Tortonese 1976 Latin for very small, 13.2–20.0 mm SL

Palutrus reticularis Smith 1959 Neo-Latin for netted or net-like, referring to reticulate pattern on body formed by darker margins of scales

Palutrus scapulopunctatus (de Beaufort 1912) scapula (L.), shoulder or shoulder blade; punctatus (L.), spotted, referring to 3–4 small black spots above origin of pectoral fin

Parachaeturichthys Bleeker 1874 pará (παρά), near, superficially similar to Chaeturichthys (Oxudercidae), original genus of P. polynema

Parachaeturichthys polynema (Bleeker 1853) polý (πολύ), many; nḗma (νῆμα), thread or yarn, referring to chin with many small barbels on each side along ramus of lower jaw

Paragobiodon Bleeker 1872 pará (παρά), near, presumably referring to similarity to and/or close relationship with Gobiodon

Paragobiodon echinocephalus (Rüppell 1830) echī́nos (ἐχῖνος), hedgehog, sea-urchin or, metaphorically, having sharp points (i.e., prickly); cephalus, from kephalḗ (κεφαλή), 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) llacuna (L.), pool; –cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, presumably referring to its type locality habitat, a lagoon at Fakarava, Tuamotu Islands, French Polynesia

Paragobiodon melanosoma (Bleeker 1853) mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; sṓma (σῶμα), body, referring to dark black color of body (and fins)

Paragobiodon modestus (Regan 1908) Latin for moderate, modest or unassuming, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to blackish-gray color

Paragobiodon xanthosoma (Bleeker 1853) xanthós (ξανθός), yellow; sṓma (σῶμα), body, referring to “beautiful” (translation) yellow color of body (and fins)

Paratrimma Hoese & Brothers 1976 pará (παρά), near, i.e., closely related to Trimma

Paratrimma nigrimenta Hoese & Brothers 1976 nigri-, from niger (L.), black; menta, unnecessary feminization of mentem (L.), chin (menta = mint), referring to its black chin (compared with dusky chin of P. urospila)

Paratrimma urospila Hoese & Brothers 1976 oura, from ourá (οὐρά), tail; spila, from spílos (σπίλος), mark or 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 the “unique development” of an added (eighth) spine in the anterior dorsal fin, compared with its presumed closest allies, which have seven spines

Pariah scotius Böhlke 1969 Latinization of skótos (σκότος), darkness, referring to its habit of living in sponges

Parkraemeria Whitley 1951 pará (παρά), 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 Latin for decorated or adorned, referring to its “ornate” coloration: pale brownish-yellow with conspicuous dark reddish-brown spots

Parkraemeria rhinoceros Suzuki & Senou 2013 rhinós (ῥινός), genitive of rhís (ῥίς), snout; ceros, from kerás (κεράς), 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 (L.), diminutive connoting endearment: in honor of Norwegian-born marine biologist Albert Eide Parr (1900–1991), Yale University

Parrella fusca Ginsburg 1939 Latin for 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, then with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for his “work with this difficult family” (he proposed the genus in 1938)

Parrella lucretiae (Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1888) in honor of Lucretia M. Smith (1817–1911), mother of Rosa Smith Eigenmann

Parrella macropteryx Ginsburg 1939 macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to its “unusually” long pectoral fin

Parrella maxillaris Ginsburg 1938 Latin for of or belonging to the jaw, referring to its long maxillary (at least in males)

Pascua Randall 2005 Spanish for Easter, basis of Isla de Pascua, Spanish name of Easter Island, where P. caudilinea is endemic

Pascua caudilinea Randall 2005 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: mare (L.), sea, and corallium (L.), coral, i.e., Coral Sea, type locality

Pascua marecoralliensis Goatley, Varela, Sellanes & Tornabene 2025 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 E. Reader (Australian Museum, Sydney), who helped collect the type series

Pascua sticta (Hoese & Larson 2005) from stiktós (στικτός ), spotted or dappled, referring to spotted head, body and fins

Peter Schliewen 2023 named for two “outstanding goby enthusiasts” both named Peter: Peter J. Miller, University of Bristol (England), 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 (L.), friend; caridis, from karídos (καρίδος), genitive of karís (καρίς), shrimp, referring to its obligatory association with shrimp burrows

Peter wirtzi (Schliewen & Kovačić 2008) in honor of German-born 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 phoxós (φοξός), pointed or tapered; akrṓmion (ἀκρώμιον), 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 phýllon (φύλλον), leaf, referring to its extremely depressed head and body, and echoing the name of its host sponge, Phyllospongia; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Phyllogobius platycephalops (Smith 1964) ṓps (ὦψ), eye or face (i.e., appearance), i.e., “in general shape and appearance closely resembling” a juvenile Platycephalus (Platycephalidae), commonly called “flatheads”

Pinnichthys Van Tassell, Tornabene & Gilmore 2016 pinna (L.), fin, referring to high number of fin rays in second dorsal and anal fins of all species; ichthýs (ἰχθύς), fish

Pinnichthys aimoriensis Van Tassell & Tornabene 2016 -ensis, a Latin 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 atrimelum (Bussing 1997) atri-, from ater (L.), black; melum (L.), apple from mêlon (μῆλον), apple but metaphorically used to mean cheek, referring to large black opercular blotch

Pinnichthys bilix (Hastings & Findley 2013) Latin for double threaded, referring to its two elongated, thread-like dorsal-fin spines

Pinnichthys prolatus (Hastings & Findley 2015) Latin for extended or elongated, referring to relatively elongate innermost or fifth pelvic-fin ray compared with that of other known species then placed in Chriolepis [often misspelled as prolata]

Pinnichthys saurimimica Van Tassell & Tornabene 2016 Saurus, a genus of lizardfish (now a synonym of Synodus, Synodontidae); mimica (L.), imitatative, from mīmikós (μῑμἰκός), of or pertaining to mimes of actors (but used here as a noun, mime), referring to its color pattern, which closely resembles that of a lizardfish

Platygobiopsis Springer & Randall 1992 platýs (πλατύς), flat, referring to distinctively flat head and body of P. akihito; 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 genitive “i”]

Platygobiopsis dispar Prokofiev 2008 Latin for unlike or dissimilar, 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-, from pleurá (πλευρά), side; sicya, from sikýā (σικύα), gourd (but here referring to a suction cup or cupping glass, which, in earlier times, was made from a gourd), referring to pleural placement of fused, cup-like pelvic fins, i.e., “rib cup”

Pleurosicya annandalei Hornell & Fowler 1922 in honor of British 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 (L. suffix), belonging to: Austral (also known as Tubuai) Islands, French Polynesia, type locality

Pleurosicya bilobata (Koumans 1941) bi– from bis (L.), twice; lobata (L.), 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, during which holotype was collected

Pleurosicya carolinensis Larson 1990 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Caroline Islands, Micronesia and Palau, where it appears to be endemic

Pleurosicya coerulea Larson 1990 alternate spelling of caerulea (L.), dark blue (but used here to mean blue in general), referring to the name of its invertebrate host, Blue Coral, Heliopora coerulea

Pleurosicya elongata Larson 1990 Latin for prolonged, 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) Latin for 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 K. 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 eponym 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 (L.), belonging to: Mozambique, type locality

Pleurosicya muscarum (Jordan & Seale 1906) Latin for of flies, presumably referring to “rather large black points” on body (i.e., as if spotted with flies)

Pleurosicya occidentalis Larson 1990 Latin for western, referring to its distribution in the western Indian Ocean

Pleurosicya plicata Larson 1990 Latin for folded, referring to its thin pelvic-fin lobes, which are folded inward

Pleurosicya prognatha Goren 1984 fore-jawed, from pro– (L.), in front of, and gnáthos (γνάθος), jaw, referring to its long, pointed snout, shaped like a falcon beak

Pleurosicya spongicola Larson 1990 spongia (L.), sponge; –cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, i.e., a commensal goby on sponges

Ponticola Iljin 1927 Póntos Áxeinos, ancient Greek name (Πόντος Ἄξεινος) of the Black Sea; –cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, presumably referring to Black Sea distribution of P. ratan and perhaps other congeners

Ponticola alasanicus Epitashvili, Japoshvili & Mumladze 2023 -icus (L.), belonging to: Alazani (“z” Latinized as “s”) River drainage, South Caucasus Region, Georgia, type locality

Ponticola cephalargoides (Pinchuk 1976) -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: referring to its resemblance to and previous confusion with Neogobius cephalarges (=N. melanostomus)

Ponticola constructor (Nordmann 1840) Medieval Latin for 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 (L.), pertaining to: Cyrus, Latin name of Kȳros (Κῦρος), referring to Kura River near Borzhomi, Eurasian Georgia, type locality

Ponticola eurycephalus (Kessler 1874) eurýs (εὐρύς), wide or broad; cephalus, from kephalḗ (κεφαλή), 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, perhaps from the Russian горла́п (pronounced gor-LAP), a colloquial, slightly derogatory word meaning loudmouth, perhaps alluding to this goby’s broad head and prominent, wide mouth

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” Russian ichthyologist (and goby specialist) Boris Sergeevich Iljin (1889–1958), the first to recognize this species as distinct from N. kessleri

Ponticola iranicus Vasil’eva, Mousavi-Sabet & Vasil’ev 2015 -icus (L.), 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 (L.), belonging to: Black Sea near Odessa, Ukraine, type locality

Ponticola patimari Eagderi, Nikmehr & Poorbagher 2020 in honor of Iranian ichthyologist Rahman Patimar, Gonbad Kavous University, for his “long and outstanding” contributions to biological studies of Iranian fishes

Ponticola platyrostris (Pallas 1814) platýs (πλατύς), flat; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), 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 for this goby

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 (Kovaĉić & Engín 2008) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Rize, a city in northeastern Turkey, near type locality

Ponticola 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) wide-mouthed, from eurýs (εὐρύς), wide or broad, and stóma (στόμα), mouth, presumably referring to “hind corners of quite large mouth almost at midlength of eye” (translation)

Ponticola turani (Kovaĉić & Engín 2008) in honor of Turkish ichthyologist Davut Turan, who helped collect gobies in northeastern Turkey, and for his contribution to the knowledge of Turkish fishes

Porogobius Bleeker 1874 póros (πόρος), hole or passage, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to cephalic sensory canals or pores; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Porogobius schlegelii (Günther 1861) in honor of German ornithologist-herpetologist Hermann Schlegel (1804–1884), who supplied holotype from the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie (Leiden, Netherlands)

Priolepis Valenciennes 1837 manuscript name coined by Ehrenberg, etymology not explained, perhaps príōn (πρίων), saw, and lepís (λεπίς), scale, referring to ctenoid scales on body

Priolepis agrena Winterbottom & Burridge 1993 agrenón (αγρηνόν), a net or mesh-like covering made of raw wool, referring to mesh-like pattern produced by pigmented margins on scale pockets

Priolepis ailina Winterbottom & Burridge 1993 aílinos (αἴλινος), 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 from Aethiops, Latin for Ethiopian or Negro, from aíthein (αἴθειν), to burn (intransitive), 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, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: etymology not explained, perhaps comparing its “vivid” red color to the colorful genus Anthias (Anthiadidae) [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 (L.), genitive singular of: Ascension Island, south Atlantic, type locality (also occurs at Saint Helena Island)

Priolepis aureoviridis (Gosline 1959) aurigineus (L.), jaundiced; viridis (L.), green, referring to 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, preumably from bóreios (βόρειος), northwind or north, referring to its more northerly distribution compared with the similar P. semidoliata

Priolepis cincta (Regan 1908) Latin for belted or girdled, 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 blue-headed, from kýanos (κύανος), dark blue (but here meaning blue in general), and kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to blue head in life

Priolepis dawsoni Greenfield 1989 in honor of Canadian-born American ichthyologist 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 (L.), two; stella (L.), star, referring to two distinct black blotches on caudal fin

Priolepis eugenius (Jordan & Evermann 1903) eū́- (εὖ), well or very; genius, possibly a Latinization of génys (γένυς), jaw (usually the cheek or lower jaw in ichthyology), referring to papillary fringes on preorbital, jaw and opercle

Priolepis fallacincta Winterbottom & Burridge 1992 fallax (L.), false or deceitful, 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 its short, robust body and light-brown color

Priolepis formosa Chen, Chen & Harefa 2024 from Ilha Formosa (“beautiful island”), English name of Taiwan into the 20th century where type locality (Huapingyan, Liociou Township, Pingtung County) is situated

Priolepis goldshmidtae Goren & Baranes 1995 in honor of Orit Goldshmidt, Interuniversity Institute of Marine Sciences (Eilat, Israel), who collected holotype

Priolepis hipoliti (Metzelaar 1922) named for its “native collector” in Curaçao, Lesser Antilles (either Hipólite or Hipolito)

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 (L.), wide or broad; fascia (L.), band; ima (L.), last (authors say end) end, referring to last bar on head, which is wider than the others

Priolepis limbatosquamis (Gosline 1959) limbus (L.), border or edge; squamis, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of squama (L.), scale, referring to each scale “completely and prominently” outlined by a series of large melanophores

Priolepis melanops Bogorodsky, Suzuki & Mal 2016 mélanos (μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; ṓps (ὦψ), eye or face, referring to its black snout, lips and chin

Priolepis nocturna (Smith 1957) Latin for 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 (Medieval Latin), nape of the neck; fasciata (L.), banded, referring to seven dark-edged light-colored bars on head region

Priolepis pallidicincta Winterbottom & Burridge 1993 pallidus (L.), pale, ashen or wan; cincta (L.), banded or girdled, referring to color pattern, which resembles a faded P. cincta

Priolepis profunda (Weber 1909) Latin for deep, allusion not explained, possibly referring to its habitat, collected at 36–70 m

Priolepis psygmophilia Winterbottom & Burridge 1993 psygmós (ψυγμός), chilliness; philia, from phílos (φίλος), fond of, referring to its remote and relatively cool southern habitat (29˚S)

Priolepis randalli Winterbottom & Burridge 1992 in honor of American 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 American ichthyologist C. Richard Robins (1928–2020), University of Miami (Florida, USA), for his numerous contributions to our knowledge of Neotropical gobies

Priolepis semidoliata (Valenciennes 1837) semi-, from semis (L.), a half or moiety; doliata, Neo-Latin for 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 squama (L.), scale; génys (γένυς), jaw (usually the cheek or lower jaw in ichthyology), referring to the presence of cheek scales, compared with their absence on its presumed sister species P. cincta

Priolepis sticta Winterbottom & Burridge 1992 from stiktós (στικτός ), dappled or spotted, referring to many diffuse dark-brown spots on head and body

Priolepis triops Winterbottom & Burridge 1993 tri– (L.), three; ṓps (ὦψ), 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 unnecessary feminization of vexillum (L.), 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 Zambian-born Canadian ichthyologist Richard Winterbottom (b. 1944), Royal Ontario Museum, who has “greatly contributed” to the systematics of Priolepis and related groups

Proterorhinus Smitt 1900 próteros (πρότερος), before or in front; rhinós (ῥινός), genitive of rhís (ῥίς), snout, referring to anterior tubiform nostril of P. marmoratus, “placed in the anterior inferior margin of the preorbital”

Proterorhinus blennioides (Kessler 1877) -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: Blennius (Blenniidae), referring to its superficial resemblance (short, deep and laterally compressed body) to that genus

Proterorhinus marmoratus (Pallas 1814) Latin for marbled, referring to its olive-brown color, marked with white marblings

Proterorhinus nasalis (De Filippi 1863) Latin for nasal, referring to two prolonged nasal tubes above the upper jaw

Proterorhinus scythicus Vasil’eva, Levina, Podolyako, Turbanov & Levin 2026 -icus (L.), belonging to: Great Scythia, an ancient empire whose region is partly inhabited by this species

Proterorhinus semilunaris (Heckel 1839) semi-, from semis (L.), a half or moiety; lunaris (L.), of the moon, referring to crescent-shaped bands on body

Proterorhinus semipellucidus (Kessler 1877) semi-, from semis (L.), a half or moiety; pellucidus (L.), translucently clear, referring to its “slightly translucent” (translation) appearance

Proterorhinus victori Vasil’eva 2024 in honor of Victor Pavlovich Vasil’ev (1943–2024), a “leading specialist in the field of evolutionary karyology of fishes and problems of reticulate and polyploid evolution in vertebrates, who made a great contribution to the development of the theory of speciation and taxonomy of several groups of fishes, including gobies (Gobiidae) of the Caucasian region”

Psammogobius Smith 1935 psámmos (ψάμμος), sand, referring to occurrence of P. knysnaensis on the “sand banks” of tidal rivers; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Psammogobius biocellatus (Valenciennes 1837) bi-, from bis (L.), twice; ocellatus (L.), having little eyes (ocelli) or spots, referring to two black spots, surrounded by white, on first dorsal fin

Psammogobius knysnaensis Smith 1935 -ensis, Latin 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 Vietnam, where this goby is known from Nha Trang Bay, South China Sea

Psilogobius Baldwin 1972 psilós (ψιλός), bare, uncovered or smooth, referring to lack of scales on anterior body; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Psilogobius mainlandi Baldwin 1972 in honor of the late Gordon B. Mainland (d. 1962), 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 Latin for 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 American 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 Ginsburg 1953 psilós (ψιλός), bare, uncovered or smooth, referring to total lack of scales of P. alepis; [Ele]otris, then placed in the family Eleotridae

Psilotris alepis Ginsburg 1953 ἀ-, privative, i.e., without; lepís (λεπίς), scale, referring to its total lack of scales

Psilotris boehlkei Greenfield 1993 in honor of American ichthyologist 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 Latin for 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 marine 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

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”

Rhinogobiops Hubbs 1926 ṓps (ὦψ), eye or face (i.e., appearance), similar to Rhinogobius (Oxudercidae)

Rhinogobiops nicholsii (Bean 1882) in honor of Capt. Henry E. Nichols (1842–1899), U.S. Navy, commander of the United States Coast and Geogetic Survey steamer Hassler through the inland waters of British Columbia and southern Alaska; he “secured” holotype and preserved 31 species in total, all in a state of “excellent preservation”; in fact, Bean wrote, “It is due to Captain Nichols to say that no better-preserved lot of fishes has been received from any other collector.”

Risor Ginsburg 1933 Latin for a mocker or jester (i.e., one who laughs), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to tusk-like teeth protruding below flaring upper lip of Garmannia binghami (=R. ruber)

Risor ruber (Rosén 1911) Latin for red, referring to its brownish-red coloration

Robinsichthys Birdsong 1988 named for American ichthyologist C. Richard Robins (1928–2020), University of Miami (Florida, USA) for his many contributions to our knowledge of American gobies; ichthýs (ἰχθύς), fish

Robinsichthys arrowsmithensis Birdsong 1988 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Arrowsmith Bank, Caribbean Sea, type locality

Robinsichthys nigrimarginatus Tornabene, Manning, Robertson, Van Tassell & Baldwin 2022 nigri, from niger (L.), black; marginatus (L.), bordered or edged, referring to black margins on dorsal and caudal fins

Schindleria Giltay 1934 -ia (L. suffix), belonging to: German zoologist Otto Schindler (1906–1959), who described the first two species in the genus

Schindleria brevipinguis Watson & Walker 2004 brevis (L.), short, referring to its size, reaching 8.4 mm SL, believed at the time to be the world’s smallest vertebrate; pinguis (L.), fat or tout, referring to deeper, broader body compared to congeners

Schindleria edentata Ahnelt, Robitzch & Abu El-Regal 2022 e- (L. prefix), without; dentata (L.), toothed, referring to absence of teeth in both jaws

Schindleria elongata Fricke & Abu El-Regal 2017 Latin for prolonged, referring to slenderer body compared with the closely related S. brevipinguis

Schindleria macrodentata Ahnelt & Sauberer 2018 macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; dentata (L.), toothed, referring to large, widely spaced teeth in upper and lower jaws (7 on premaxilla and 6 on dentary)

Schindleria multidentata Ahnelt 2020 multi– (L.), many; dentata (L.), toothed, referring to numerous tiny and densely set teeth in upper and lower jaws

Schindleria nana Ahnelt, Macek & Robitzch 2024 Latin for dwarf (adjective), referring to its small size (<13 mm TL)

Schindleria nigropunctata Fricke & Abu El-Regal 2017 nigro-, from niger (L.), dark or black; punctata (L.), spotted, referring to black melanophores on body

Schindleria parva El-Regal, El-Sherbiny, Gabr & Fricke 2021 Latin for little; at 11.9 mm TL, probably the smallest Schindleria species in the Red Sea

Schindleria pietschmanni (Schindler 1931) in honor of Austrian ichthyologist Viktor Pietschmann (1881–1956), who collected holotype

Schindleria praematura (Schindler 1930) Latin for premature, a neotenic fish, presumed to be a sexually mature larval halfbeak (Hemiramphidae) at time of description

Schindleria qizma Ahnelt, Macek & Robitzch 2023 from the Arabic word qizm, dwarf (noun), reflecting its occurrence in the Red Sea of Saudi Arabia and referring its very small size (up to 10.9 mm SL)

Schindleria squirei Robitzch, Landaeta & Ahnelt 2023 in honor of Chris Squire (1948–2015), English musician, singer and songwriter who composed the song “The Fish (Schindleria praematurus)” from the 1971 album Fragile of the progressive rock band Yes

Signigobius Hoese & Allen 1977 signum (L.), mark, referring to distinctive ocellated spot on both dorsal fins; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Signigobius biocellatus Hoese & Allen 1977 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; ocellatus (L.), having little eyes (ocelli), referring to distinctive ocellated spot on both dorsal fins

Silhouettea Smith 1959 -[i]a (L.), adjectival suffix: Silhouette, Seychelles, western Indian Ocean, locality of type species, S. insinuans

Silhouettea aegyptia (Chabanaud 1933) Latin for Egyptian, referring to Lake Timsah, Suez Canal, Egypt, type locality

Silhouettea capitlineata Randall 2008 capit, from caput (L.), head; lineata (L.), lined, referring to four dark lines that extend ventrally from eye

Silhouettea dotui (Takagi 1957) in honor of Yosie Dôtu (also spelled Yoshie Dotsu, see Dotsugobius), Fisheries Laboratory, Kyushu University, “ardent contributor to the goby life-history,” who collected holotype

Silhouettea evanida Larson & Miller 1986 Latin for disappearing or vanishing, referring to how it rapidly conceals itself in mud flats when alarmed

Silhouettea flavoventris (Herre 1927) flavus (L.), yellow; ventris, genitive of venter (L.), belly, referring to “butter yellow” on belly and lower part of sides in alcohol

Silhouettea ghazalae Kovačić, Sadeghi & Esmaeili 2020 in honor of Ghazal, daughter of the third author

Silhouettea hoesei Larson & Miller 1986 in honor of American-born Australian ichthyologist Douglass F. Hoese (b. 1942), Australian Museum (Sydney), for his work on the systematics of Indo-Pacific gobies

Silhouettea indica Visweswara Rao 1971 -ica (L.), belonging to: India, representing an Indian species of a genus previously known only from Africa

Silhouettea insinuans Smith 1959 Latin for penetrating, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its living in sand

Silhouettea nuchipunctata (Herre 1934) nucha (Medieval Latin), nape of the neck; punctata (L.), spotted, referring to conspicuous milk-white nuchal spot

Silhouettea sibayi Farquharson 1970 named for Lake Sibayi (also spelled Sibhayi), east coast of South Africa, where it is endemic

Stonogobiops Polunin & Lubbock 1977 stonyx (στονυ), any sharp point, referring to large vomerine teeth of S. dracula; gobius (L.), goby, and ṓps (ὦψ), eye or face (i.e., appearance)

Stonogobiops dracula Polunin & Lubbock 1977 named for Bram Stoker’s fictional vampire Count Dracula, who was endowed with peculiarly sharp white teeth, not unlike this species

Stonogobiops larsonae (Allen 1999) in honor of Helen K. Larson, Curator of Fishes, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (Darwin, Australia), for her work in gobiid taxonomy

Stonogobiops medon Hoese & Randall 1982 médōn (μέδων), protect or rule over, referring to symbiotic role of this (and other) shrimp-associated gobies, which protect the burrow both the goby and 1–2 alpheid shrimps inhabit; authors say name means guard or sentinel, in which case correct spelling is medéōn (μεδέων)

Stonogobiops nematodes Hoese & Randall 1982 -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: nḗmatos (νήματος), threaded, i.e., thread-like or filamentous, referring to long black filament on first dorsal fin

Stonogobiops pentafasciatus Iwata & Hirata 1994 penta, from pénte (πέντε), five; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to five black bars on head and body [originally spelled pentafasciata; emended to agree with masculine genus]

Stonogobiops xanthorhinicus Hoese & Randall 1982 xanthós (ξανθός), yellow; rhinicus, scientific Neo-Latin adjective from rhinós (ῥινός), genitive of rhís (ῥίς), snout, i.e., snouted, referring to bright-yellow color of anterior part of head, including most of snout [originally spelled xanthorhinica; emended to agree with masculine genus]

Stonogobiops yasha Yoshino & Shimada 2001 yasha, a traditional female devil in Japan, having a long pair of canines on upper jaw, referring to this goby’s large prevomerine teeth

Sueviota Winterbottom & Hoese 1988 Sue, in honor of Susan Jewett (formerly Karnella, b. 1945), Collection Manager, Division of Fishes, Smithsonian Institution, who co-authored the descriptions of several new species of Eviota, to which this genus is most closely related (pronounced “Sue-viota”)

Sueviota aethon Nunes Peinemann, Pombo-Ayora & Tornabene 2024 named for Aethon, one of the four horses that pulled the chariot of the sun god Helios across the sky, described as most similar to S. aethon, named after a different horse of Helios

Sueviota aprica Winterbottom & Hoese 1988 Latin for sunny, referring to eye-sized, brick-red, round spot on occipital region, reminiscent of the setting sun

Sueviota atrinasa Winterbottom & Hoese 1988 atri-, from ater (L.), black; nasa, unnecessary feminization of nasus (L.), nose, referring to jet-black anterior nasal tubes

Sueviota bryozophila Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2016 phila, from phílos (φίλος), fond of, referring to its association with bryozoan colonies

Sueviota lachneri Winterbottom & Hoese 1988 in honor of Ernest A. Lachner (1916–1996), curator of fishes, U.S. National Museum, for his work on Indo-Pacific gobiids, “which has resulted in small pockets of order in the chaotic systematic morass generally prevalent in this group”

Sueviota larsonae Winterbottom & Hoese 1988 in honor of Helen K. Larson, Curator of Fishes, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (Darwin, Australia), for her contributions to the systematics of gobioid fishes

Sueviota minersorum Greenfield, Erdman & Utama 2019 -orum (L.), commemorative suffix, plural: in honor of Andrew and Marit Miners, who “founded the Misool EcoResort in Raja Ampat Islands and whose superlative efforts in conservation and sustainable economic development in the region have dramatically improved the health and biomass of the thriving reefs” where this goby was discovered

Sueviota pyrios Greenfield & Randall 2017 named for Pyrios, one of the four horses that pulled the chariot of the sun god Helios across the sky, referring to this goby’s orange-red coloration [see also S. aethon]

Sueviota tubicola Allen & Erdmann 2017 tubus (L.), pipe or tube; –cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, referring to its association with worm tubes

Sufflogobius Smith 1956 sufflatus (L.), puffed up or inflated, referring to its ability to inflate its body cavity with air and/or water, apparently the first case of self-inflation in fishes of this type; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Sufflogobius bibarbatus (von Bonde 1923) bi-, from bis (L.), twice; barbatus (L.), bearded, referring to single barbel on each side of chin near symphysis of mandibles

Thorogobius Miller 1969 Thor, Danish research vessel, on whose 1910 cruise a unique Mediterranean specimen of Gobius thori (=T. ephippiatus) was secured; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Thorogobius alvheimi Sauberer, Iwamoto & Ahnelt 201 8in honor of Oddgeir Alvheim (b. 1944), Institute of Marine Research (Bergen, Norway), for his many photographic contributions to the FAO Species Identification Guides and for his assistance and advice to the second author during three surveys aboard the R/V Dr. Fridtjof Nansen, during which type was collected in 2005

Thorogobius angolensis (Norman 1935) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: off the coast of Angola, type locality (occurs in eastern Atlantic from Senegal to Angola)

Thorogobius ephippiatus (Lowe 1839) Latin for saddled, presumably referring to a row of “rich brown patches along the sides”

Thorogobius laureatus Sauberer, Iwamoto & Ahnelt 2018 Latin for crowned with a laurel, referring to shape of scaled areas in predorsal region

Thorogobius macrolepis (Kolombatović 1891) macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; lepís (λεπίς), scale, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its relatively large scales (27–28 along lateral line) for a Mediterranean goby

Thorogobius rofeni Miller 1988 in honor of ichthyologist Robert R. Rofen (formerly Harry, 1925–2015), for his work on the systematics of both gobioid and deep-sea fishes, including earlier examination of the type material

Tigrigobius Fowler 1931 tígris (τίγρις), tiger, allusion not explained, probably referring to dark, “strong contrasted cross bands” on body (reminiscent of tiger stripes) and/or large canine teeth of T. macrodon; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Tigrigobius digueti (Pellegrin 1901) in honor of Léon Diguet (1859–1926), French chemist, naturalist and explorer, who collected specimens in México (including type of this one) for the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris)

Tigrigobius dilepis (Robins & Böhlke 1964) di-, from dýo (δύο), two; lepís (λεπίς), scale, referring to two scales on each side of caudal-fin base

Tigrigobius gemmatus (Ginsburg 1939) Latin for jeweled, referring to a very small and elongate spot, “set like a jewel,” in every ray joint in a large median area near base of caudal fin

Tigrigobius harveyi Victor 2014 in honor of Jamaican marine wildlife artist Guy Harvey (b. 1955), for his “extensive support” for research and conservation of sharks and gamefishes in the Cayman Islands; he established the Guy Harvey Research Institute at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale (Florida, USA), and the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation

Tigrigobius inornatus (Bussing 1990) Latin for undecorated or unadorned, referring to absence of crossbars on body, unlike the barred T. nesiotes

Tigrigobius janssi (Bussing 1981) in honor of California (USA) real estate developer and recreational diver Edwin Janss, Jr. (1915–1989), for supporting and encouraging research in marine sciences; all (then) known specimens of this goby were collected from the R/V Searcher of the Janss Foundation

Tigrigobius limbaughi (Hoese & Reader 2001) in honor of American zoologist, diver and underwater photographer Conrad “Connie” Limbaugh (1925–1960), for his “pioneering” 1961 work on the symbiotic cleaning behavior of marine organisms (like this goby) [authors give forename as “Clyde”; he died after losing his way while diving in the labyrinth of an underground river in France]

Tigrigobius macrodon (Beebe & Tee-Van 1928) macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; odon, from odoús (ὀδούς), tooth, referring to pair of large canines in both jaws

Tigrigobius multifasciatus (Steindachner 1876) multi– (L.), many; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to 16–17 bright green, sharply demarcated transverse bands on sides separated from each other by narrow, white stripes

Tigrigobius nesiotes (Bussing 1990) nēsiṓtēs (νησιώτης), islander, known only from Galápagos Islands, Cocos Island and Gorgona Island

Tigrigobius pallens (Ginsburg 1939) Latin for pale or wan, referring to its light yellowish color, paler than the similar T. macrodon

Tigrigobius panamensis (Victor 2014) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Panama, type locality

Tigrigobius redimiculus (Taylor & Akins 2007) artificially derived adjective from redimiculum (L.), a ribbon that is sometimes attached to side of headdress then passed over shoulders to drape across each side of breast, or decoratively woven or plaited into hair, referring to reddish-orange bands or “ribbons” that drape down across this goby’s nape and anterior trunk

Tigrigobius rubrigenis (Victor 2010) rubri-, from ruber (L.), red; genis, from géneion (γένειον), cheek, referring to distinctive red stripe on cheek

Tigrigobius saucrus (Robins 1960) Latinization of saúkros (σαύκρος), graceful or pretty, described as a “strikingly spotted species”

Tigrigobius zebrellus (Robins 1958) diminutive of zebra, referring to its banded color pattern

Tomiyamichthys Smith 1956 in honor of ichthyologist Itiro (sometimes spelled Ichiro) Tomiyama (1906-1981), Tokyo Imperial University, who described type species, T. oni, in 1936; ichthýs (ἰχθύς), fish

Tomiyamichthys alleni Iwata, Ohnishi & Hirata 2000 in honor of American-born Australian ichthyologist Gerald R. Allen (b. 1942), Western Australia Museum (Perth), “in grateful thanks for his considerable assistance in the study of gobioid fishes, given to the senior author”

Tomiyamichthys dorsostigma Bogorodsky, Kovačić & Randall 2011 dorsum (L.), back; stígma (στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to distinctive black-and-white spot distally on third membrane of first dorsal fin

Tomiyamichthys elliotensis Allen, Erdmann & Dudgeon 2023 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia, type locality

Tomiyamichthys emilyae Allen, Erdmann & Utama 2019 in honor of Canadian diver Emily Irving, who has accompanied and assisted the authors on numerous ichthyological expeditions and is a dedicated supporter of marine conservation and exploration efforts worldwide; she also co-sponsored expedition during which holotype was collected

Tomiyamichthys eyreae Allen, Erdmann & Mongdong 2020 in honor of Janet Van Sickle Eyre (b. 1955), diver and volunteer (Reef Environmental Education Foundation), whose efforts led to the discovery and description of this goby, and whose “excellent” underwater survey and observational skills have “greatly added to our knowledge of coral reef fish distribution”

Tomiyamichthys fourmanoiri (Smith 1956) in honor of French ichthyologist Pierre Fourmanoir (1924–2007), FAO Regional Fisheries Officer, Madagascar, “who found this fish”

Tomiyamichthys gomezi Allen & Erdmann 2012 in honor of Filipino biologist Edgardo D. Gomez (1938–2019), former Director of the Marine Sciences Institute, University of the Philippines, for his numerous and invaluable contributions to the advancement of marine science

Tomiyamichthys hyacinthinus Sato & Motomura 2025 Latin for “of the hyacinth,” referring to pale, black-edged blotch on membrane margin between fourth and fifth spines of first dorsal fin, which resembles the color of the hyacinth flower (M. Sato, pers. comm.)

Tomiyamichthys lanceolatus (Yanagisawa 1978) Latin for lance-like, referring to its symmetrically lanceolate caudal fin, longer than its head

Tomiyamichthys latruncularius (Klausewitz 1974) Latin for of or belonging to chess, referring to checkered pattern on first dorsal fin

Tomiyamichthys levisquama Hoese, Shibukawa & Johnson 2016 laevis (L.), smooth; squama (L.), scale, referring to its cycloid scales (some congeners have ctenoid scales)

Tomiyamichthys nudus Allen & Erdmann 2012 Latin for bare or naked, referring to its lack of scales

Tomiyamichthys oni (Tomiyama 1936) from its Japanese name, Oni-haze (haze = goby)

Tomiyamichthys oriens Wibowo, Pratiwi, Dharmayanthi, Tjiptadi, Tarmini, Priyadi & Kusumah 2026 Latin for the rising or morning sun, referring to its “radiant” orange coloration in life, “evoking the hues of sunrise,” and to its type locality in Banyuwangi, East Java, a region popularly known in Indonesia as “The Sunrise of Java” due to its geographic position at the easternmost extremity of the island.

Tomiyamichthys praealta (Lachner & McKinney 1981) Latin for very high, referring to “unusually” long first four elements of spinous (first) dorsal fin

Tomiyamichthys reticulatus Greenfield 2017 Latin for net-like or netted, referring to many oblong orange spots encircled with white lines forming a reticulated pattern on first dorsal fin

Tomiyamichthys russus (Cantor 1849) Latin for a kind of cheap, coarse red, presumably referring to its “Flesh or pale salmon-coloured” body

Tomiyamichthys smithi (Chen & Fang 2003) in honor of J. L. B. Smith (1897-1968), South African ichthyologist-chemist, for describing Flabelligobius (original genus, now a junior synonym of Tomiyamichthys) and his “great ichthyological achievements for the Southern Hemisphere”

Tomiyamichthys stuarti Allen, Erdmann & Brooks 2018 in honor of Stuart Mathews Brooks, the third author’s son (see also Gobiopsis jackbrooksi and Priolepis billbrooksi)

Tomiyamichthys tanyspilus Randall & Chen 2007 tanýō (τανύω), stretch out (i.e., long); spilus, from spílos (σπίλος), mark or spot, referring to elongate shape of its five midlateral dark-brown spots

Tomiyamichthys zonatus Allen 2015 Latin for belted or girdled, referring to diagnostic brown bars on ventral body of males

Trimma Jordan & Seale 1906 trimma (τρίμμα), anything rubbed or crushed, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “firmer” texture and/or “less translucent” color compared with the similar Eviota

Trimma abyssum Allen 2015 unnecessary neuterization of abyssus (Medieval Latin), the deep sea, referring to its unusually deep habitat (107 m) in comparison with most gobiid fishes

Trimma agrena Winterbottom & Chen 2004 from agrenón (αγρηνόν), mesh-like netting made from carded raw wool, referring to mesh-like pattern on body formed by strongly outlined scale pockets

Trimma albicaudatum Wada, Takase & Senou 2022 albus (L.), white; caudatum (L.), tailed, referring to distinctive white coloration of caudal peduncle and caudal fin in life

Trimma anaima Winterbottom 2000 ánaimía (ἀναιμία), bloodless, pale or anemic, referring to its “pale, almost washed-out” coloration

Trimma annosum Winterbottom 2003 Latin for aged, old or full of years, referring to its plain gray cheeks, reminiscent of some elderly, bearded human males

Trimma anthrenum Winterbottom 2006 scientific Neo-Latin adjective from anthrḗnē (ἀνθρήνη), wild bee, wasp or hornet, a “perhaps fanciful allusion” to the aposematic coloration of yellow with black stripes (at bases of dorsal and anal fins)

Trimma aturirii Winterbottom, Erdmann & Cahyani 2015 in honor of Abraham Atururi (1950–2019), Governor of West Papua province from 2006–2016, for his “energetic efforts to ensure the conservation and wise, sustainable use of the hugely diverse coral reefs of the Bird’s Head Seascape [where this goby occurs] for the benefit of the Papuan people” [note: since the authors consistently misspelled the Governor’s name as “Aturiri,” it does not represent a typo or printer’s error and therefore cannot be corrected]

Trimma avidori (Goren 1978) in honor of ichthyologist A. Avidor, Tel Aviv University, who collected holotype

Trimma barralli Winterbottom 1995 in honor of Glen E. Barrall, dive master and underwater photographer “par excellance,” who provided Winterbottom with many “superb” slides of species of Trimma in their natural habitat, including those used in the description of this one

Trimma bathum Winterbottom 2017 artificially Latinized adjective derived from báthos (βάθος), depth (author says deep or deep water), referring to depth at which it was collected (50–90 m)

Trimma benjamini Winterbottom 1996 in honor of Peter Benjamin, owner of Benjamin Film Laboratory (Toronto), who provided Winterbottom with free 35mm film and processing over the past two decades and who has participated in several collecting expeditions

Trimma berumeni Peinemann, Pombo-Ayora, Rich, Fox & Coker 2025 in honor of Michael L. Berumen, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Saudi Arabia), for his “substantial” contributions to our understanding of the ecology and biodiversity of Red Sea coral reefs

Trimma bisella Winterbottom 2000 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; sella (L.), saddle, referring to two white saddle-like markings on dorsal and ventral margins of caudal peduncle

Trimma blematium Winterbottom & Erdmann 2018 artificially Latinized adjective derived from ble (μπλε), blue, and máti (μάτι), eye, referring to distinctive blue dorsal surfaces of its eyes

Trimma burridgeae Winterbottom 2016 in honor of Mary Elizabeth Burridge, for her extensive work in revising the genus Priolepis, her ongoing work on barcoding Trimma spp., her field work collecting fishes in the Philippines and Vietnam, and her extensive contributions to the maintenance of the fish and frozen tissue collections at the Royal Ontario Museum

Trimma caesiura Jordan & Seale 1906 caesius (L.), blue-gray; ourá (οὐρά), tail, referring to gray spot on back of caudal fin

Trimma cana Winterbottom 2004 Latinization of first three letters of both the Anglo-Saxon words candy and cane, referring to its candy cane-like red bands on a white body

Trimma capostriatum (Goren 1981) caput (L.), head; striatum (L.), grooved or furrowed (i.e., striped), referring to alternating red and charcoal-blue stripes on head

Trimma caudipunctatum Suzuki & Senou 2009 cauda (L.), tail; punctatum (L.), spotted, referring to “distinctive polka dots” on caudal fin

Trimma caudomaculatum Yoshino & Araga 1975 cauda (L.), tail; maculatum (L.), spotted, referring to darkish red blotch at caudal base [originally spelled caudomaculatus; emended to agree with neuter genus]

Trimma cavicapum Winterbottom, Brighton & Mason-Parker 2024 an “arbitrary combination of letters”: ca-, from caeruleus (L.), dark blue (but used here to mean blue in general), vi-, from virgatus (L.), made of twigs (but often used to mean striped or streaked), and capum, from caput (L.), head, referring to three bright-blue stripes on head

Trimma cheni Winterbottom 2011 in honor of I.-Shiung Chen, National Taiwan Ocean University, for his numerous publications on Indo-Pacific reef fishes in general, and gobies in particular

Trimma chledophilum Allen 2015 chlḗ̃dos (χλῆδος), mud; philum, from phílos (φίλος), fond of or loving, referring to its predilection for mud-bottom habitats, which is unusual for Trimma, which are more commonly found on coral reefs

Trimma citrum Winterbottom & Pyle 2022 Latin for the color of the fruit of the lemon tree Citrus limon, referring to this goby’s lemon-yellow body

Trimma corallinum (Smith 1959) etymology not explained, perhaps referring to its occurrence on and/or similar color as coralline (red) algae

Trimma corerefum Winterbottom 2016 arbitrary combination of letters (pronounced “core-ref-um”) reflecting the Coral Reef Research Foundation in Palau; “This organization, established and operated by Pat and Lori Colin, has not only spearheaded marine research in Palau through the efforts of its founders, but has also provided laboratory and research facilities while acting as a home away from home for innumerable scientists working on marine organisms of the Palauan Islands for almost a quarter of a century.”

Trimma dalerocheila Winterbottom 1984 dalerós (δαλερός), hot or fiery; cheilos, from cheī́los (χεῖλος), lip, referring to fiery red snout and lips; name also alludes to Ms. Holly Arnold, who helped collect holotype, and who, in the “male dominated” society of the Chagos Arhipelago (type locality), was called a “scarcely appropriate nickname” (“Holly Hotlips,” R. Winterbottom, pers. comm.)

Trimma emeryi Winterbottom 1985 in honor of Alan Roy Emery (b. 1939), Curator, Ichthyology and Herpetology, Royal Ontario Museum, “friend colleague, and diving buddy, in memory of our expeditions to the Indo-Pacific”

Trimma erdmanni Winterbottom 2011 in honor of marine biologist Mark V. Erdmann (b. 1968), for his “deep interest in Trimma (and other fishes, of course), his enthusiastic collection and documentation of specimens of this genus for the present author’s research program, his friendship, and for the superb job he does for Conservation International’s Indonesian Marine Program”

Trimma erwani Viviani, Williams & Planes 2016 in honor of evolutionary biologist and diver Erwan Delrieu-Trottin, who helped collect type in the Marquesas (as well as on other French Polynesia expeditions), and who worked late into the night with Williams taking tissue samples and processing specimens

Trimma fangi Winterbottom & Chen 2004 in honor of Lee-Shing Fang (b. 1951), head of the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium (Ping Tung, Taiwan), for his “enthusiastic support of the second author’s current research program”

Trimma fasciatum Suzuki, Sakaue & Senou 2012 Latin for banded, referring to four broad bright yellow bands on body

Trimma filamentosus Winterbottom 1995 Latin for filamentous but specified as a noun by the author, a “fine untwisted thread,” referring to elongate second spine of first dorsal fin

Trimma finistrinum Winterbottom 2017 artificially derived adjective from finistríni (φινιστρίνι), porthole, referring to lines of yellow spots along sides, reminiscent of lighted portholes of an ocean liner at night

Trimma fishelsoni Goren 1985 in honor of ecologist and marine biologist Lev Fishelson (1923–2013), Tel-Aviv University, for his “tremendous” contribution to our knowledge of the fauna of the Red Sea, where this goby is endemic

Trimma flammeum (Smith 1959) Latin for flaming or fiery, referring to its red coloration in life

Trimma flavatrum Hagiwara & Winterbottom 2007 flavus (L.), yellow; atrum, neuter of ater (L.), dark of black, referring to its “unusual” yellow-and-black coloration in life: dark-yellow to yellowish-brown body that gradually darkens posteriorly, a dark-brown to black caudal peduncle, and yellow to orange median fins (except caudal) with a dark or black basal stripe formed by melanophores with scattered iridocytes

Trimma flavicaudatum (Goren 1982) flavus (L.), yellow; caudatum (L.), tailed, referring to its yellow caudal peduncle and caudal fin

Trimma fraena Winterbottom 1984 plural of fraenum (L.), bridle, rein or bit, a “term used in goby systematics for the membrane that interconnects the tips of the pelvic spines across the midline to help create the sucking disk found in many gobiid fishes”; this species is the only known Trimma (at time of description) to possess this structure

Trimma fucatum Winterbottom & Southcott 2007 Latin for painted, colored or rouged, referring to red markings on and around preopercle (and suggesting its provocative common name, Harlot Pygmy Goby, a harlot being a Middle English word for prostitute or promiscuous woman, drawing a descriptive parallel between the goby’s red markings and the over-abundance of red facial make-up that some prostitutes apply to make themselves more attractive or to announce their availability to potential clients)

Trimma gigantum Winterbottom & Zur 2007 Neo-Latin adjective from gígas (γίγας), giant, i.e., gigantic, referring to its extremely large size (for a pygmy goby), up to 29.9 mm SL

Trimma grammistes (Tomiyama 1936) grammḗ (γραμμή), line or stroke of the pen; -istḗs (-ιστής), suffix indicating an agent with a specific profession or trait, i.e., one with lines, presumably referring to its longitudinal dark bands, one across eye extending along upper body, and a narrower band from upper orbital margin to soft dorsal fin

Trimma griffithsi Winterbottom 1984 in honor of Major John D. Griffiths, Royal Signals, leader of the 1978–1979 British Armed Forces Chagos Expedition, whose “leadership and hard work resulted in a highly successful expedition” during which type was collected

Trimma habrum Winterbottom 2011 artificially Latinized adjective derived from habrós (ἁβρός), delicate, dainty or graceful, referring to the “soft and delicate shades” of color of freshly collected specimens

Trimma haima Winterbottom 1984 from haîmas (αἷμας), a stream of blood, referring to three blood-red vertical bars on head

Trimma haimassum Winterbottom 2011 derived from haimássō (αἱμάσσω), to stain with blood (but defined as an adjective, stained with blood), referring to blood-red spot above posterior end of opercle in live and fresh specimens

Trimma halonevum Winterbottom 2000 derived from halo nevus, a skin condition characterized by pale spots with a red center, referring to similar spots on its body

Trimma hamartium Winterbottom 2018 artificially Latinized adjective derived from hamartía (ἁμαρτία), a mistake or error in judgment, referring to Winterbottom’s error in not recognizing the differences between this species and T. preclarum when describing the latter

Trimma hayashii Hagiwara & Winterbottom 2007 in honor of Masayoshi Hayashi, Curator, Yokosuka City Museum, who referred to it as an undescribed species in 1997 and provided a photograph of the holotype for its description

Trimma helenae Winterbottom, Erdmann & Cahyani 2014 in honor of Helen Newman (d. 2014), one of the founders of Sea Sanctuaries Trust, and leader of the survey that led to the discovery of this goby, for her tireless conservation efforts over the past decade on behalf of Raja Ampat and its indigenous communities

Trimma hoesei Winterbottom 1984 in honor of American-born Australian ichthyologist Douglass F. Hoese (b. 1942), Australian Museum (Sydney), who “generously” shared his extensive knowledge of gobioid fishes with Winterbottom during field trips, museum visits, and by correspondence, and whose input has frequently saved Winterbottom from making “glaring errors”

Trimma hollemani Winterbottom 2016 in honor of Wouter Holleman, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, “friend, diving partner, collector extraordinaire, and processor of fishes both small and large on my expeditions for too many decades to detail. He is also a world expert on the systematics of tripterygiid and clinid fishes.”

Trimma hotsarihiense Winterbottom 2009 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Hotsarihie, local Tobian name for Helen Reef, only know area of occurrence, in appreciation of the support of the Helen Reef Resource Management Project and the friendliness and helpfulness of the people of Tobi and of Palau in general; Hotsarihie means “reef of the giant clams” and is pronounced “jo-cha-reehee”

Trimma imaii Suzuki & Senou 2009 in honor of Keisuke Imai, volunteer, Fish Division, Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History (Kanagawa, Japan), who collected type

Trimma insularum Winterbottom & Hoese 2015 unnecessary neuterization of insularis (L.), of an island, referring to its distribution, which is apparently confined to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Trimma irinae Winterbottom 2014 in honor of Winterbottom’s wife, Irina, as a small token of his appreciation and gratitude for her patience and forbearance of what she once referred to as his “magnificent obsession” with coral reef fishes

Trimma kalum Winterbottom 2020 artificially Latinized adjective derived from kalós (καλός), beautiful, referring to its “delicate” yellow coloration

Trimma kardium Winterbottom, Erdmann & Cahyani 2015 artificially Latinized adjective derived from kardía (καρδία), heart, referring to two ovoid red spots that are joined anteriorly on ventral surface of head, which have an “admittedly tenuous stereotypical resemblance” to a heart when viewed from below

Trimma kitrinum Winterbottom & Hoese 2015 artificially Latinized adjective derived from kítrinos (κίτρινος), citron-yellow or of citron, referring to its distinctive yellow caudal fin

Trimma kudoi Suzuki & Senou 2008 in honor of Takahiro Kudo, Kanagawa Prefectural Fisheries Technology, who helped collect and supplied holotype

Trimma lantana Winterbottom & Villa 2003 named for the ubiquitous tropical plant Lantana, the inflorescences of which are a varying assortment of yellow, orange, purple, and reddish-pink flowers, alluding to the colorful nature of this goby and the rounded blotches on its head

Trimma longispinum Winterbottom 2023 longus (L.), long or extended; spinum (L.), artificially derived adjective from spina (L.), referring to elongated second spine of first dorsal fin

Trimma lutea Viviani, Williams & Planes 2016 from luteus (L.), yellow, referring to yellow bars on body (despite its spelling, authors say name is a noun; sometimes incorrectly seen as luteum)

Trimma macrophthalmus (Tomiyama 1936) macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; ophthalmós (ὀφθαλμός), eye, presumably referring to size of eye, a little shorter than half length of head [treated as an adjective, macropthalmum and macropthalma, by some workers but Tomiyama apparently intended it as a noun]

Trimma maiandros Hoese, Winterbottom & Reader 2011 named for the Greek god of the winding Meander River in Phrygia (now the Büyük Menderes River in Turkey), and origin of the Anglo-Saxon word meander (a winding or crooked course), referring to zigzag pattern of gray-to-blue lines on body

Trimma marinae Winterbottom 2005 of Marina, one of many names attributed to Aphrodite (Goddess of the Sea), whose legendary beauty is reminiscent of this “gorgeous little species”; it is also, coincidentally, the name of Winterbottom’s daughter, “whose cheerful assistance in collecting and documenting coral reef fishes for my research program is much appreciated”

Trimma matsunoi Suzuki, Sakaue & Senou 2012 in honor of Kazushi Matsuno, AQUAS Kashiwajima Diving Service (Kochi, Japan), who discovered this goby

Trimma meityae Winterbottom & Erdmann 2018 in honor of Meity Mongdong, “one of Indonesia’s foremost marine conservationists, who has dedicated the past several decades of her career towards expanding and improving the management of marine protected areas in West Papua, including the Cendrawasih Bay National Park,” where this goby is found

Trimma mendelssohni (Goren 1978) in honor of Heinrich Mendelssohn (1910–2002), Tel Aviv University, for his “invaluable” contributions to zoological research and nature conservation in Israel

Trimma meranyx Winterbottom, Erdmann & Cahyani 2014 méra (μέρα), day; nýx (νύξ), night, referring to unique coloration of a black peduncle with twin “suns” (large white spots) dorsally and ventrally

Trimma meristum Winterbottom & Hoese 2015 Neo-Latin scientific adjective derived from meristós (μεριστός), divided, referring to two dichotomous branches in the fifth pelvic-fin ray resulting in four terminal tips, a diagnostic character for this species

Trimma milta Winterbottom 2002 from míltos (μίλτος), red lead, minium, or native cinnabar (author says red earth), referring to predominant ground and topsoil color of type locality (Moorea, Society Islands)

Trimma multiclitellum Allen 2015 multi– (L.), many; clitellum, Neo-Latin from clitellae (L.), pack-saddle, referring to seven alternating dark-brown and chalk-white bars on upper half of body

Trimma nasa Winterbottom 2005 derived from the Anglo-Saxon nasal, a bar descending from front of many medieval helmets to protect the nose of the wearer, referring to stripe on snout

Trimma nauagium Allen 2015 Latin for shipwreck, from navā́gion (ναυᾱ́γιον), this goby known only from the outer hull of the Muscoota, a World War II shipwreck at Waga Waga in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea

Trimma naudei Smith 1957 in honor of physicist Stefan Meiring Naudé (1905–1985), President of the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research

Trimma necopinum (Whitley 1959) Latin for unexpected, allusion not explained nor evident

Trimma nomurai Suzuki & Senou 2007 in honor of Tomoyuki Nomura, volunteer, Fish Division, Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History (Kanagawa, Japan), who collected and provided type

Trimma novemstriatum Harefa & Chen 2025 novem (L.), nine; striatum (L.), grooved or furrowed (i.e., striped), referring to nine vertical stripes along mid-side of body

Trimma nubarum Winterbottom, Bogorodsky & Alpermann 2023 -um (L.), adjectival suffix (neuter): combination of the first three letters of the Nubian and the first two letters of the Arabian continental plates (“nubar”) whose divergence forms the great rift of which the Red Sea (where this goby occurs) is a par

Trimma okinawae (Aoyagi 1949) of the Okinawa Islands of Japan, type locality

Trimma omanense Winterbottom 2000 -ense, Latin suffix denoting place: Gulf of Oman, only known area of occurrence [originally spelled omanensis; emended to agree with neuter genus]

Trimma pajama Winterbottom, Erdmann & Cahyani 2014 American English word for loose clothing worn when retiring for the night, referring to contrasting stripes so common in at least the British version of that garment

Trimma pamae Allen, Erdmann, Brooks & Gudgeon 2025 in memory of Pamela Rorke Levy (1956–2024), late wife and companion of the third author and an active diving member of the initial expedition that uncovered this species

Trimma panemorfum Winterbottom & Pyle 2022 artificially Latinized adjective derived from panémorfos (πανέμορφος), beautiful, exquisite or sublime, referring to its attractive color pattern

Trimma papayum Winterbottom 2011 artificially Latinized adjective derived from papaya, Spanish name for a tropical tree whose fruit has orange flesh and small black seeds, referring to overall coloration and small black spot or spots on first dorsal fin

Trimma pentherum Winterbottom & Hoese 2015 artificially Latinized adjective derived from pénthos (πένθος), mourning, a “perhaps far-fetched allusion to the black bar on the pectoral-fin base which, with considerable imagination, could be viewed as analogous to the black arm band worn in certain cultures to signify the death of a close friend or relative”

Trimma preclarum Winterbottom 2006 Latin for splendid or very beautiful, referring to its “wonderful” coloration when alive, especially its multi-hued iris

Trimma putrai Winterbottom, Edrmann & Mambrasar 2019 in honor of Ketut Sarjana Putra (b.1963), head of Conservation International Indonesia and “one of Indonesia’s foremost marine conservationists”; his “work over the past three decades has ranged from sea-turtle conservation to pioneering large-scale marine-protected-area network development, and has focused on both the Lesser Sunda Islands and West Papua—precisely the range of this new species”

Trimma quadrimaculatum Hoese, Bogorodsky & Mal 2015 quadrus (L.), square or four fold; maculatum (L.), spotted, referring to four prominent subcutaneous spots above anal fin and ventral caudal peduncle

Trimma randalli Winterbottom & Zur 2007 in honor of American ichthyologist John E. Randall (1924–2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), “guru of the alpha-taxonomy of Indo-Pacific marine fishes,” who first brought specimens of this species to the authors’ attention, and who has made a special effort to collect and photograph Trimma for the senior author’s research program

Trimma readerae Winterbottom & Hoese 2015 in honor of Sally E. Reader, Australian Museum (Sydney), for the many years she has spent painstakingly gathering, analyzing and documenting data on Trimma for Hoese’s research program

Trimma rubromaculatum Allen & Munday 1995 rubro-, from ruber (L.), red; maculatum (L.), spotted, referring to deep-red spots on head, nape and sides of living specimens [originally spelled rubromaculatus and sometimes seen as rubromaculata; emended to agree with neuter genus]

Trimma sanguinellus Winterbottom & Southcott 2007 diminutive of sanguis (L.), blood, i.e., “little blood,” and root of the Spanish sanguinello, a variety of blood orange, whose red-suffused flesh resembles this goby’s unusual body color [often incorrectly treated as an adjective, sanguinellum]

Trimma sheppardi Winterbottom 1984 in honor of Singaporean-born British ecologist Charles R. C. Sheppard (1949–2024), scientific leader on the Chagos Expedition during which holotype was collected, for his many efforts to ensure the participating scientists had everything they needed [note: Winterbottom incorrectly gave Sheppard’s middle initial as “S.”]

Trimma sostra Winterbottom 2004 derivation of Sostratus, the Cnidian designer and builder of the Lighthouse of Alexandria (ca. 350 BC, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world), referring to its red and white bars, which are reminiscent of the colors of many 20th-century lighthouses

Trimma squamicana Winterbottom 2004 squama (L.), scale, referring to its scaled name; cana, Latinization of first three letters of both the Anglo-Saxon words candy and cane, referring to its candy cane-like red bands on a white body

Trimma stobbsi Winterbottom 2001 in honor of Robin E. Stobbs, “friend, guru, and colleague, whose expertise in so many things was instrumental in launching [Winterbottom’s] career (especially the fieldwork aspects) all those years ago at the JLB Smith Institute of Ichthyology in Grahamstown, South Africa”

Trimma striatum (Herre 1945) Latin for grooved or furrowed (i.e., striped), referring to six longitudinal pale stripes on head

Trimma taipinense Chang, Shen & Chen 2025 -ense, Latin suffix denoting place: Taiping Island, South China Sea, type locality [originally spelled taipinensis; emended to agree with neuter genus]

Trimma tauroculum Winterbottom & Zur 2007 taurus (L.), bull; oculum, accusative singular of oculus (L.), eye, referring to bullseye-like marking above pectoral fin

Trimma taylori Lobel 1979 in honor of Leighton R. Taylor, Jr. (b. 1940), on the occasion of his appointment as director of the Waikiki Aquarium, continuing a tradition that each of the Aquarium’s directors have a uniquely Hawaiian fish as a namesake

Trimma tevegae Cohen & Davis 1969 named for Stanford University (California, USA) research vessel Te Vega, a converted luxury yacht, which collected holotype

Trimma tigrinum Chen & Harefa 2024 Latin for tiger-like, referring to bars and spots on head and body

Trimma trioculatum Winterbottom, Erdmann & Cahyani 2015 tri-, three; oculatus, eyed, referring to “extra apparent eye” formed by dark ocellated spot on first dorsal fin

Trimma tufiense Allen, Erdmann, Brooks & Gudgeon 2025 -ense, Latin suffix denoting place: Tufi area of eastern Papua New Guinea, type locality [originally spelled tufiensis; emended to agree with neuter genus]

Trimma ukkriti Winterbottom 2021 in honor of Ukkrit Satapoomin, Director, Marine Resources Conservation Division, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Government of Thailand, who “not only acted as liaison, organizer and participant in my field work at the Phuket Marine Biological Station in 1993, but who continued to collect and send me valuable specimens of reef gobies after we left, as well as making a special and successful effort to obtain specimens of this species for DNA barcode analysis”

Trimma unisquame (Gosline 1959) uni-, from unus (L.), one; squame, Neo-Latin scientific neuter adjective of squama (L.), scale, referring to single scale on cheek

Trimma volcana Winterbottom 2003 from Volcanus, Roman god of fire, referring to amber-red spots on an earthy brown background that resemble numerous small, volcanic vents on a lava field; also suggestive of the hot-spot origins of the Comores Islands, where it occurs

Trimma wangunui Winterbottom & Edrmann 2019 in honor of Noel Wangunu, “one of Papua New Guinea’s foremost reef scientists and marine conservationists,” who also assisted junior author in collections and local permits

Trimma winchi Winterbottom 1984 in honor of Peter Winch, owner and captain of the ketch Paille-en-Queue II, who spent nine months ferrying equipment, supplies, and expedition members around the Chagos Archipelago, and without whom the expedition during which holotype was collected would not have been possible

Trimma winterbottomi Randall & Downing 1994 in honor of Zambian-born Canadian ichthyologist Richard Winterbottom (b. 1944), Royal Ontario Museum, for his “excellent” research on gobies, Trimma in particular

Trimma woutsi Winterbottom 2002 in honor of ichthyologist Wouter (Wouts) Holleman, then Deputy Director of the Albany Museum (Grahamstown, South Africa), “friend, colleague, and indispensable field collaborator on many field trips” (pronounced “votes-i”)

Trimma xanthochrum Winterbottom 2011 xanthós (ξανθός), yellow; chrum, from chrṓma (χρῶμα), skin or color (but spelled as a neuter adjective), referring to yellow coloration of body and caudal fin

Trimma xanthum Winterbottom & Hoese 2015 Latinized adjective derived from xanthós (ξανθός), yellow (i.e., yellowish-red, orange or golden, referring to presence of these colors in freshly collected specimens

Trimma yanagitai Suzuki & Senou 2007 in honor of Mitsuhiko Yanagita, NASO Dive (Ito, Shizuoka, Japan), who helped collect and provided type

Trimma yanoi Suzuki & Senou 2008 in honor of Korechika Yano, Dive Service YANO (Iriomote Island, Japan), who collected type and photographed it under water

Trimma yoshinoi Suzuki, Yano & Senou 2015 in honor of Japanese ichthyologist Tetsuo Yoshino, University of the Ryukyus, supervisor of the third author when he studied at Yoshino’s laboratory, for his “extensive” taxonomic research on the fishes of Japan

Trimma zurae Winterbottom, Erdmann & Cahyani 2014 in honor of Margaret Zur, who has, for several decades, curated both the Royal Ontario Museum and borrowed material of Trimma for Winterbottom’s research program, as well as taking and compiling reams of data on the specimens, plotting distributions, summarizing results, and a myriad other tasks; her work has been indispensable in keeping Winterbottom’s Trimma project viable

Trimmatom Winterbottom & Emery 1981 Trimma, a closely related genus; atom, from atomon (ἄτομον), uncuttable or indivisible, i.e., a very small particle, referring to small sizes of T. nanus and T. offucius

Trimmatom eviotops (Schultz 1943) ṓps (ὦψ), eye or face (i.e., appearance), similar to Eviota

Trimmatom lanyuensus Chen, Shen & Chang 2025 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Lanyu (Orchid Island), Taitung County, Taiwan, type locality

Trimmatom macropodus Winterbottom 1989 macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; podus, from podós (ποδός, genitive of πούς), foot (homologous to the ventral fin), referring to its extremely long fourth ventral-fin ray

Trimmatom nanus Winterbottom & Emery 1981 Latin for a dwarf, referring to small size at maturity, 8–10 mm SL

Trimmatom novempunctatus Chen & Harefa 2025 novem (L.), nine; punctatus (L.), spotted, referring to row of nine of dark spots on dorsal profile of trunk from first dorsal-fin base to caudal-fin base

Trimmatom offucius Winterbottom & Emery 1981 unnecessary masculinization of offucia (L.), a paint or wash of the face, usually red in color, referring to orange-red bar beneath eye

Trimmatom pharus Winterbottom 2001 Latin for lighthouse or beacon (from Pharus, an island near Alexandria, Egypt, where King Ptolemy Philadelphus built a famous lighthouse), which are usually painted with alternating red and white bands, referring to the color of living and fresh specimens

Trimmatom sagma Winterbottom 1989 ságma (σάγμα), pack saddle, referring to pattern of small dark saddles across dorsum

Trimmatom tetramaculatus Harefa & Chen 2025 tetrá (τετρά), four; maculatus (L.), stained or spotted, referring to four broad, light-purplish-blue vertical bands on upper side of body

Trimmatom zapotes Winterbottom 1989 zapótēs (ζαπότης), a hard drinker, referring to its red anterior nasal tube (e.g., drinker’s nose, or rhinophyma, thought to be related to excessive alcohol consumption)

Tryssogobius Larson & Hoese 2001 tryssós τρυφός), dainty or delicate, presumably referring to small size of T. colini (32.5 mm SL) and T. longipes (18.0 mm SL); gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Tryssogobius colini Larson & Hoese 2001 in honor of coral-reef biologist Patrick L. Colin (b. 1946), who collected holotype and other specimens

Tryssogobius fisunovi Prokofiev 2017 in honor of Georgy Kasyanovich Fissunov (note spelling, see Myctophum fissunovi, Myctophidae), Institute of Oceanology, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, who collected holotype serving as a senior technician-oceanologist aboard the research vessel Vitiaz in 1973

Tryssogobius flavolineatus Randall 2006 flavus (L.), yellow; lineatus (L.), lined, referring to yellow line passing from behind eye to below first dorsal fin

Tryssogobius longipes Larson & Hoese 2001 longus (L.), long; pes (L.), foot, referring to elongate pelvic fins, especially developed in males

Tryssogobius nigrolineatus Randall 2006 nigro, from niger (L.), dark or black; lineatus (L.), lined, referring to longitudinal black line on postorbital head and side of body

Tryssogobius porosus Larson & Chen 2007 Latin for pored or full of holes, referring to its three preopercular pores and two pores over opercle

Tryssogobius quinquespinus Randall 2006 quinque (L.), five; spinus (L.), spine, referring to five spines in first dorsal fin, a rare count for gobiid fishes (the great majority have four)

Tryssogobius sarah Allen & Erdmann 2012 in honor of Sarah Crow, who accompanied Erdmann on his surveys of cryptic fish biodiversity; “It is a pleasure to name this species after this precocious and inquisitive young ichthyologist, with the hope that this will further inspire her future investigations of the marine realm.” [a noun in apposition, without the genitive “ae”]

Valenciennea Bleeker 1856 -[i]a (L.), adjectival suffix: eponym not identified but clearly in honor of Achille Valenciennes (1794–1865), co-author of the 22-volume Histoire Naturelle des Poissons (1828–1850), a basic reference for Bleeker and other ichthyologists of the time [note: Bleeker often spelled Valenciennes without the “s”; see Hypoatherina valenciennei (Atherinidae]

Valenciennea alleni Hoese & Larson 1994 in honor of American-born Australian ichthyologist Gerald R. Allen (b. 1942), Western Australia Museum (Perth), for his contributions to Australian ichthyology

Valenciennea bella Hoese & Larson 1994 Latin for beautiful, presumably referring to its pinkish body coloration and two oblique stripes under eye

Valenciennea decora Hoese & Larson 1994 Latin for adorned or elegant, presumably referring to coloration in life, including yellow stripe running length of body, one or 4–5 yellow vertical bars, and a blue-edged yellow stripe at distal edge of second dorsal fin

Valenciennea helsdingenii (Bleeker 1858) in honor of W. F. C. van Helsdingen, Dutch civil servant who provided a number of well-preserved fishes from the Gorong Archipelago (Indonesia), including holotype of this one

Valenciennea immaculata (Ni 1981) im-, from in (L.), not; maculata (L.), spotted, referring to lack of vertical bands compared with the similar V. muralis

Valenciennea limicola Hoese & Larson 1994 limus (L.), mud; –cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, collected from a turbid silty mud bottom off a river mouth

Valenciennea longipinnis (Lay & Bennett 1839) longus (L.), long; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to extended rays on first dorsal fin and/or “long and pointed” caudal fin

Valenciennea muralis (Valenciennes 1837) Latin for of a wall, its color markings resembling the lines of a stone wall

Valenciennea papuensis Allen, Erdmann & Mambrasar 2024 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: West Papua Province, Indonesia, where all type material was collected

Valenciennea parva Hoese & Larson 1994 Latin for small, referring to its small size, maximum 54 mm SL

Valenciennea persica Hoese & Larson 1994 -ica (L.), belonging to: Persia, referring to the Persian Gulf, where it is endemic

Valenciennea puellaris (Tomiyama 1956) Latin for girlish, maidenly or damsel-like, referring to its “supposed gay coloration in life”

Valenciennea randalli Hoese & Larson 1994 in honor of American ichthyologist John E. Randall (1924–2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), who provided the “initial impetus” for the authors’ revision of the genus and supplied numerous specimens and photographs

Valenciennea schlieweni Zarei, Motomura & Chakona 2026 in honor of German ichthyologist Ulrich Schliewen, curator of fishes at the Zoologische Staatssammlung München, for his contributions to the curation and study of African fish diversity, particularly marine gobies

Valenciennea sexguttata (Valenciennes 1837) sex (L.), six; guttata (L.), spotted, presumably referring to silver spots, consisting of two longitudinal rows of three spots each, on cheek and operculum

Valenciennea strigata (Broussonet 1782) Latin for furrowed or grooved (i.e., striped), referring to bluish, black-edged streak or stripe from angle of mouth to opercle

Valenciennea wardii (Playfair 1867) in honor of British diplomat Swinburne Ward (1830–1897), Her Majesty’s Civil Commissioner for the Seychelles (even though this goby was described from Zanzibar, Tanzania)

Valenciennea yanoi Suzuki, Senou & Randall 2016 in honor of Korechika Yano, Dive Service YANO (Iriomote Island, Japan), who discovered this species and photographed it under water

Valenciennea zaboae Zarei, Motomura & Chakona 2026 in honor of Nokuzola (Noxie) Zabo, who joined the NRF-South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity as a teenager and, for over three decades, has “played a vital role in maintaining a supportive and aesthetically conducive working environment that has enabled productivity and academic achievement in the Institute. Colleagues in such essential roles often remain in the background. Through this dedication, we aim to formally acknowledge and preserve [her] contributions.”

Vanderhorstia Smith 1949 -ia (L. suffix), belonging to: Cornelius Jan van der Horst (1889–1951), Head of the Zoology Department, Witwatserand University (Johannesburg, South Africa), “well known as a marine biologist”

Vanderhorstia ambanoro (Fourmanoir 1957) named for Ambanoro Bay, Nossi-Bé, Mozambique Channel, Madagascar, type locality

Vanderhorstia atriclypea (Garman 1903) etymology not explained, presumably atri-, from ater (L.), black, referring to black ventral fins and/or black spot on bases of caudal-fin rays; clypeus (L.), shield, perhaps referring to large ctenoid scales with minute teeth

Vanderhorstia attenuata Randall 2007 Latin for drawn out or tapering, referring to prolonged tapering filament formed by middle five caudal-fin rays

Vanderhorstia auronotata Randall 2007 aurum (L.), gold; notata (L.), marked, referring to its many bright orange-yellow markings

Vanderhorstia auropunctata (Tomiyama 1955) aureus (L.), golden; punctata (L.), spotted, referring to golden-yellow spots scattered on head and body

Vanderhorstia bella Greenfield & Longenecker 2005 Latin for beautiful, referring to its “striking” coloration, lavender on head and body and many bright yellow spots

Vanderhorstia belloides Randall 2007 -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: resembling V. bella

Vanderhorstia cyanolineata Suzuki & Chen 2014 cyano-, from kýanos (κύανος), dark blue; lineata (L.), lined, referring to conspicuous longitudinal purplish-blue stripe from middle body crossing through entire middle region of caudal fin

Vanderhorstia dawnarnallae Allen, Erdmann & Mongdong 2019 in honor of businesswoman and philanthropist Dawn Arnall, who funded expedition that led to the discovery of this goby and “provided critical support and advice to the Bird’s Head Seascape marine conservation initiative that now protects the habitat of this new species”

Vanderhorstia delagoae (Barnard 1937) of Delagoa Bay, Mozambique, type locality

Vanderhorstia dorsomacula Randall 2007 dorsum (L.), back; macula (L.), spot, referring to black spot in middle of first dorsal fin between fourth and fifth spines

Vanderhorstia flavilineata Allen & Munday 1995 flavus (L.), yellow; lineata (L.), lined, referring to pair of yellow-orange stripes on sides

Vanderhorstia fulvopelvis Suzuki & Chen 2014 fulvus (L.), brownish yellow (but often used to mean yellow in general); pelvis, shallow bowl or basin, precursor to the anatomical pelvis, referring to conspicuous “shiny yellow” mark on pelvic (or ventral) fin in male

Vanderhorstia hiramatsui Iwata, Shibukawa & Ohnishi 2007 in honor of Wataru Hiramatsu (Laboratory of Marine Biology, Kochi University), who collected type

Vanderhorstia kizakura Iwata, Shibukawa & Ohnishi 2007 Japanese vernacular for a variety of cherry tree with turmeric-colored blossoms, referring to bright-yellow dots and lines scattered on head and body

Vanderhorstia lepidobucca Allen, Peristiwady & Erdmann 2014 lepido, from lepidōtós (λεπιδωτός), scaly; bucca (L.), cheek, only member of genus with scales on preoperculum

Vanderhorstia longimanus (Weber 1909) longus (L.), long; manus (L.), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), referring to long pectoral fins, nearly reaching middle of second dorsal fin

Vanderhorstia macropteryx (Franz 1910) macro-, from makrós (μακρός), long or large; ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to its long pectoral fins, 31/3 in TL

Vanderhorstia mertensi Klausewitz 1974 in honor of German herpetologist Robert Mertens (1894–1975), former director, Naturmuseum Senckenberg (Frankfurt), under whom Klausewitz gained a complete biological and ecological view of modern systematics and taxonomy

Vanderhorstia nannai Winterbottom, Iwata & Kozawa 2005 of the Sumerian moon god Sin, who had several different names corresponding to phases of the moon; the name “Nanna” represented the full moon, referring to moon-like lateral spots on this goby

Vanderhorstia nobilis Allen & Randall 2006 Latin for well-known, noted or majestic, referring its previously published (2003) common name, Majestic Shrimpgoby

Vanderhorstia opercularis Randall 2007 Latin for opercular, referring to prominent black spot on opercle

Vanderhorstia ornatissima Smith 1959 Latin or very ornate or decorated, presumably referring to its “Brilliant” coloration in life

Vanderhorstia papilio Shibukawa & Suzuki 2004 Latin for butterfly, referring to its elongate, filamentous fifth and ninth branched caudal-fin rays, which look like the “tails” of the Swallowtail Butterfly

Vanderhorstia pattiseery Allen, Erdmann & Ichida 2024 in honor of the late Patti Seery (d. 2020), designer and owner of the “magnificent” liveaboard boat R.V. Silolona, who provided the authors with numerous opportunities to explore the islands and reefs of the East Indian region; they are “grateful for her wonderful friendship and immense generosity” [a noun in apposition without the genitive “ae”]

Vanderhorstia phaeostictus (Randall, Shao & Chen 2007) phaiós (φαιός), dark or gray; stictus, from stiktós (στικτός), spotted (but said to be a noun, “small spots”), referring to profusion of small dark spots on body

Vanderhorstia puncticeps (Deng & Xiong 1980) punctum (L.), spot; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to irregular yellow blotches and stripes on head

Vanderhorstia rapa Iwata, Shibukawa & Ohnishi 2007 unnecessary feminization of rapum (L.), turnip or rapeseed, referring to minute golden-yellow spots on head, body and fins, similar to rapeseed blossoms

Vanderhorstia steelei Randall & Munday 2008 in honor of ichthyologist Mark H. Steele (b. 1967), California State University (Northridge, California), who photographed the goby in its habitat and alerted the authors of its existence

Vanderhorstia stegauchenia Prokofiev 2017 stégō (στέγω), to cover (defined as “roof” in published English translation); auchenia, from auchḗnas (αυχένας), nape (i.e., back of the head), referring to completely scaled predorsal region

Vanderhorstia supersaiyan Koeda, Hirasaka & Sato 2025 named for Super Saiyan, a fictional transformation from the Dragon Ball manga series, famous for its golden yellow hair and glowing aura, referring to two distinct yellow longitudinal stripes on the second dorsal, anal, and caudal fins, unique within the genus

Vanderhorstia vandersteene Allen, Erdmann & Brooks 2020 a noun in apposition for the combined surnames of Rob van der Loos (also spelled Vanderloos) and Roger C. Steene (b. 1942), “two highly esteemed underwater photographers who have contributed greatly to our knowledge of the reef fishes of Milne Bay and who have been loyal diving companions over the course of three decades of exploration of the region”

Vanderhorstia wayag Allen & Erdmann 2012 named for Wayag Island, Raja Ampat Islands, West Papua, Indonesia, type locality (and location of a Conservation International field station)

Vanneaugobius Brownell 1978 Vanneau, ship that collected holotype of V. dollfusi; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Vanneaugobius dollfusi Brownell 1978 in honor of French zoologist Robert-Philippe Dollfus (1887–1976), who co-organized the Vanneau expeditions (1923–1926) along Morocco’s Atlantic coastline, during which holotype was collected; in addition, his 1955 checklist of Moroccan Atlantic fishes has been “very helpful” to subsequent workers in the field

Vanneaugobius longignathus Kovačić, Schliewen & Böhmer 2025 longus (L.), long; gnáthos (γνάθος), jaw, referring to posterior angle of jaw ending posteriorly below posterior iris (vs. below pupil in congeners)

Vanneaugobius pruvoti (Fage 1907) in honor of Fage’s teacher, French physician-zoologist Georges Pruvot (1852–1924), who helped collect this goby and urged Fage to study it

Varicus Robins & Böhlke 1961 Latin for with feet spread apart, referring to its nearly separate (vs. fused) ventral fins

Varicus adamsi Gilmore, Van Tassell & Tornabene 2016 in honor of the late “famed” research submersible (Johnson Sea Link) pilot Michael Adams (1934–1993), who “painstakingly” captured both Bahaman specimens during a 30–45 minute chase using a 26-ton submarine in “simultaneous multiple thrust, multidirectional mode”; he was one of the five original research submersible pilots in the United States

Varicus benthonis (Ginsburg 1953) -is, Latin genitive singular of: bénthos (βένθος), depth (of the sea), presumably referring to its deepwater habitat (collected at 153.6 m)

Varicus bucca Robins & Böhlke 1961 Latin for cheek (“puffed cheek” per the authors), referring to its moderately protractile mouth

Varicus cephalocellatus Gilmore, Van Tassell & Baldwin 2016 cephalo-, from kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head; ocellatus (L.), having little eyes (ocelli), referring to series of ocelli on head extending from mouth diagonally to nape

Varicus decorum Van Tassell, Baldwin & Tornabene 2016 Latin for decorated, adorned, beautiful or elegant, referring to “beautiful” round yellow markings on dorsal surface of body

Varicus lacerta Tornabene, Robertson & Baldwin 2016 Latin for lizard, referring to its “reptilian or saurian appearance” as indicated by its bright yellow-and-orange coloration, green eyes, disproportionately large head possessing raised ridges of papilla, and multiple rows of recurved canine teeth in each jaw (its common name, Godzilla Goby, refers to the radioactive reptilian monster from the sea that appeared in Japanese science-fiction films as Gojira, renamed Godzilla in subsequent English-language films)

Varicus marilynae Gilmore 1979 in honor of Gilmore’s wife Marilyn, who aided her husband “considerably” in his ichthyological studies

Varicus nigritus Gilmore, Van Tassell & Baldwin 2016 Latin for blackened ot darkened, referring to diagnostic dark-black wide bars on trunk

Varicus prometheus Fuentes, Baldwin, Robertson, Lardizábal & Tornabene 2023 named for the Greek god Prometheus, who, as punishment from the god Zeus, had his liver eaten out by an eagle, only to have the liver grow back overnight so it might be eaten again the next day, referring to the fact that the abdomen of the holotype was partially eaten by a hermit crab

Varicus roatanensis Fuentes, Baldwin, Robertson, Lardizábal & Tornabene 2023 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Roatan, Honduras, type locality

Varicus veliguttatus Van Tassell, Baldwin & Gilmore 2016 velum (L.), sail; guttatus (L.), spotted or speckled, referring to scattered black markings on first dorsal fin

Varicus vespa (Hastings & Bortone 1981) Latin for wasp, referring to wasp-like olive vertical bars on body

Vomerogobius Gilbert 1971 vomer (L.), plowshare, but in ichthyology the bone forming the front part of the roof of the mouth, referring to teeth that may be present on vomer; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Vomerogobius flavus Gilbert 1971 Latin for yellow, referring to bright yellow color in life

Wheelerigobius Miller 1981 in honor of Alwyne C. Wheeler (1929–2005), Curator of Fishes at the British Museum, whose help was “invaluable” in Miller’s work on gobies for Checklist of the Fishes of the Eastern Tropical Atlantic; gobius (L.), a fish of small value or a gudgeon, i.e., a goby

Wheelerigobius canariensis (Van Tassell, Miller & Brito 1988) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, type locality

Wheelerigobius maltzani (Steindachner 1881) in honor of German malacologist and Steindachner’s “dear” (translation) friend, Hermann von Maltzan (1843–1891), who provided holotype

Wheelerigobius wirtzi Miller 1988 in honor of blenny taxonomist Peter Wirtz (b. 1948), Universidade da Madeira (Portugal), who collected holotype, and, “as on previous occasions, kindly forwarded these non-blenniids to the author”

Yoga Whitley 1954 Sanskrit word for yoke, i.e., to bind or bridge, referring to how this genus is “apparently intermediate in characters” between Ctenogobius (Oxudercidae) and Cryptocentrus; Whitley is thereby “linking them together” by proposing this name

Yoga pyrops (Whitley 1954) pyrum (Medieval Latin), pear; ṓps (ὦψ), eye or face, referring to its pear-shaped eyes

Yongeichthys Whitley 1932 named for British marine biologist Charles Maurice Yonge (1899–1986), leader of the Great Barrier Reef Expedition (1928-1929); ichthýs (ἰχθύς), fish

Yongeichthys audax (Smith 1959) Latin for bold or daring, allusion not explained nor evident [treated by some workers as a junior synonym of Y. viganensis]

Yongeichthys griseus (Day 1876) Medieval Latin for gray or grayish, but described as “olivaceous, with bands and many well marked deep brown or black spots”

Yongeichthys nebulosus (Forsskål 1775) Latin for cloudy, referring to its rough, dark-cloudy (“fusco-nebulosis”) scales

Yongeichthys signatus (Peters 1855) Latin for marked, presumably referring to any or all of the following: large black-brown spots on body, white-blue spots on cheek and operculum (the former with two blue longitudinal lines), white spots on pectoral fins, numerous vertical spots on tail, large blue-black ocellus on first dorsal fin

Yongeichthys thomasi (Boulenger 1916) in honor of British anthropologist Northcote W. Thomas (1868–1936), who collected holotype

Yongeichthys tuticorinensis (Fowler 1925) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Tuticorin, Madras, India, type locality

Yongeichthys viganensis (Steindachner 1893) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Philippines, type locality

Zebrus de Buen 1930 tautonymous with Gobius zebrus

Zebrus pallaoroi Kovačić, Šanda, Čekovská, Soukupová & Vukić 2021 in honor of Armin Pallaoro, a “great ichthyologist from the Institute of Oceanography and Fishery Split, Croatia, who sadly passed away in January 2020. Armin unselfishly shared his knowledge and his fieldwork and laboratory skills on fishes with generations of younger Croatian colleagues at their beginnings,” including the senior author

Zebrus zebrus (Risso 1827) Latinization of zebra, referring to zebra-like color pattern of whitish transverse bands encircling a dark body

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Wormfishes
Subfamily MICRODESMINAE Regan 1912

Cerdale Jordan & Gilbert 1882 kerdalē (κερδαλἡ), wary, crafty or fox-like, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its quick and agile burrowing behavior of C. ionthas, especially when disturbed

Cerdale fasciata Dawson 1974 Latin for striped or banded, referring to prominent dark stripes on preserved specimens (“either absent in live holotype or inconspicuous and masked by the striking combination” of a broad chalk-white stripe extending from eye to caudal fin base, margined above and below by golden-yellow which continues over abdomen, pre-dorsum and remainder of head)

Cerdale floridana Longley 1934 -ana (L.), belonging to Florida (USA), where type locality (Dry Tortugas) is situated

Cerdale ionthas Jordan & Gilbert 1882 ionthás (ἰονθάς), shaggy but used here to mean freckled, referring to back and sides “very finely marked with clusters of fine dots”

Cerdale paludicola Dawson 1974 paludis, genitive of palus (L.), swamp, marsh, bog or fen; –cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, referring to its mangrove swamp habitat

Cerdale prolata Dawson 1974 Latin for extended or elongated, referring to its high dorsal- and anal-fin rays and vertebral counts compared with congeners

Clarkichthys Smith 1958 in honor of H. Walton Clark (1870–1941), Curator of Ichthyology, California Academy of Sciences, who described C. bilineatus in 1936; ichthýs (ἰχθύς), fish

Clarkichthys bilineatus (Clark 1936) bi-, from bis (L.), twice; lineatus (L.), lined, referring to long narrow black line along each side of dorsal beginning near tip of snout, and a somewhat broader line extending from very tip of snout across cheek and along middle side to tip of tail

Gunnellichthys Bleeker 1858 gunnell (Pholis gunnellus, Pholidae), referring to gunnel-like shape of G. pleurotaenia and/or to its presumed close relationship to Pholidichthys (Pholidichthyidae), all of which Bleeker regarded as blennies; ichthýs (ἰχθύς), fish

Gunnellichthys copleyi (Smith 1951) in honor of Hugh Copley (d. 1959), Fish Warden of Kenya, who collected “valuable ichthyological material,” including holotype of this goby

Gunnellichthys curiosus Dawson 1968 Latin for eager to know or inquisitive but here meaning peculiar or unusual, referring to its “curious body coloration” (lack of continuous dark lateral stripe as seen on congeners) and “unusual pubescence of the anterior head” (“snout and lower jaw clothed with microscopic villi”)

Gunnellichthys grandoculis (Kendall & Goldsborough 1911) grandis (L.), large; oculis, from oculus (L.), eye, referring to its “very large eyes”

Gunnellichthys irideus Smith 1958 Latin for rainbow-like or iridescent, presumably referring to its multiple colors: purple, yellow, red green, blue, orange and “milky white”

Gunnellichthys monostigma Smith 1958 mono-, from mónos (μόνος), one or single; stígma (στίγμα), mark or spot, presumably referring to small black spot on rear of gill cover

Gunnellichthys pleurotaenia Bleeker 1858 pleuro-, from pleurá (πλευρά), side; taenia, from tainía (ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to brown, white-edged streak from snout, through eye, to middle of caudal fin

Gunnellichthys viridescens Dawson 1968 viridis (L.), green; –escens (L.), becoming, referring to its generally greenish appearance

Microdesmus Günther 1864 micro-, from mikrós (μικρός), small; desmus, from desmós (δεσμός), bond or fetter, referring to pectoral and ventral fins of M. dipus, which are united by a membrane

Microdesmus aethiopicus (Chabanaud 1927) -icus (L.), 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 Latin for related, referring to its 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 -anus (L.), belonging to: Africa, described from the Congo River, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Microdesmus bahianus Dawson 1973 -anus (L.), belonging to: Bahia, Brazil, type locality

Microdesmus carri Gilbert 1966 in honor of Archie Carr (1909–1987), American 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-, from dýo (δύο), two; pus, from poús (πούς), foot (homologous to the ventral fins), allusion not explained, presumably referring to how pectoral fins are united with ventral fins, thereby creating two pairs of “feet”

Microdesmus dorsipunctatus Dawson 1968 dorsi-, from dorsalis (Neo-Latin), dorsal; punctatus (L.), 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 American ichthyologist Samuel F. Hildebrand (1883–1949), U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, for his “valuable” work on the fishes of Panama

Microdesmus intermedius Meek & Hildebrand 1928 Latin for intermediate, 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 American ichthyologist Leslie W. Knapp (1929‒2017), National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C.) who collected holotype, for his “diligence and expertise in the field” and the many “valuable specimens and personal courtesies” he provided

Microdesmus lanceolatus Dawson 1962 Latin for lance-like, referring to its lanceolate caudal fin, compared with the rounded caudal fin of its Gulf of Mexico congener, M. longipinnis

Microdesmus longipinnis (Weymouth 1910) longus (L.), long; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, 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 Latin for with one eye closed (but used here to mean half-blind or blinded), referring to its small and partly obscured eyes

Microdesmus multiradiatus Meek & Hildebrand 1928 multi– (L.), many; radiatus (L.), rayed, referring to more rays in dorsal and anal fins compared with congeners in Panama

Microdesmus retropinnis Jordan & Gilbert 1882 retro– (L.), behind; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to posterior insertion of dorsal fin compared with M. dipus

Microdesmus suttkusi Gilbert 1966 in honor of American ichthyologist Royal D. Suttkus (1929–2009), Tulane University (Louisiana, USA), who collected most of the type series

Paragunnellichthys Dawson 1967 pará (παρά), near, described as intermediate between Gunnellichthys and the Microdesmus–Clarkichthys species complex

Paragunnellichthys fehlmanni Dawson 1969 in honor of American ichthyologist-herpetologist Herman Adair Fehlmann (1917–2005), who collected holotype

Paragunnellichthys seychellensis Dawson 1967 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Seychelles, type locality

Paragunnellichthys springeri Dawson 1970 in honor of American ichthyologist Victor G. Springer (1928–2022), U.S. National Museum, who collected holotype, for his many contributions to “modern” ichthyology