COMMENTS
v. 26.0 – 21 March 2024 view/download PDF
Family GOBIIDAE Gobies (Didigobius through Heteroplopomus)
Taxonomic note: includes taxa formerly included in the families Kraemeriidae, Microdesmidae and Schindleriidae.
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, goby
Didogobius bentuvii Miller 1966 in honor of Adam Ben-Tuvia (1919-1999), Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who collected type 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 (James L. Van Tassell, pers. comm.)
Didogobius lanceolatus Schliewen, Knorrn & Böhmer 2023 Latin for “with a little lance,” from lanceola, a diminutive of lancea, meaning “lancet”, i.e., a small lancet, referring to its lancet-shaped caudal fin
Didogobius schlieweni Miller 1993 in honor of ichthyologist Ulrich Schliewen, Zoologische Staatssammlung München, who collected type and suggested the common name Andromeda Goby because of its nebula-like pattern of light and dark markings
Discordipinna Hoese & Fourmanoir 1978 discors, different; pinna, 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 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 (Douglass 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, 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) patronym not identified, perhaps 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 (footnote: Bontius introduced the word “Orang Hutan” into western languages)
Drombus dentifer (Hora 1923) dentis, tooth; fero, to bear, referring to its well-developed canine-like teeth
Drombus flavimentus Allen & Erdmann 2024 flavus, yellow; mentus, chin, referring to its bright-yellow chin and adjacent parts of body
Drombus globiceps (Hora 1923) globus, globe or sphere; cephalus, head, 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 lepido-, scaled; thorax, 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, swift; oura, tail, allusion not explained, presumably referring to “long, sharp-pointed” caudal fin
Drombus oligactis (Bleeker 1875) oligo-, few; aktis, ray, presumably referring to fewer pectoral-fin rays (15-16 vs. 18) and/or caudal-fin rays (22 vs. 31) compared to 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 simulus (Smith 1960) somewhat pug-nosed, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “fairly depressed” head
Drombus triangularis (Weber 1909) presumably referring to white triangular spot at upper edge of pectoral-fin base
Drombus vexillifer (Fowler 1937) vexillum, banner; fero, to bear, referring to extended spines on first dorsal fin
Ebomegobius Herre 1946 Ebomé, brackish stream at Kribi, Cameroon, type locality; gobius, goby
Ebomegobius goodi Herre 1946 in honor of Albert Irwin Good (1884-1975), “missionary and ardent collector of West African fishes,” who collected type
Echinogobius Iwata, Hosoya & Niimura 1998 echinos, spiny, referring to hard first spines of both dorsal fins; gobius, 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 type of D. patriciae and provided Miller with an “invaluable store of gobioid material taken during fisheries research in Hong Kong”; ichthys, fish
Egglestonichthys bombylios Larson & Hoese 1997 Greek for bumble bee, referring to its banded color pattern
Egglestonichthys fulmen Fujiwara, Suzuki & Motomura 2020 Latin for lightning, referring to bright-yellow zigzag pattern on upper body
Egglestonichthys melanoptera (Visweswara Rao 1971) melano-, black; ptera, fin, referring to its “deep black” fins
Egglestonichthys patriciae Miller & Wongrat 1979 in honor of Mrs. Patricia Eggleston, presumably wife of David Eggleston (see genus), who collected type
Egglestonichthys rubidus Allen, Erdmann & Brooks 2020 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 “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 spindle-like, allusion not explained, possibly referring to fusiform body of E. oceanops
Elacatinus atronasus (Böhlke & Robins 1968) ater, black; nasus, nose, referring to its blackish snout
Elacatinus cayman Victor for the Cayman Islands, where it is endemic
Elacatinus centralis Victor 2014 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 senior author and an accomplished ichthyologist herself [a noun in apposition, without the matronymic “ae”]
Elacatinus horsti (Metzelaar 1922) in honor of Dutch zoologist C. J. van der Horst (1889-1951), who collected type during his 1920 stay at Curacao
Elacatinus illecebrosus (Böhlke & Robins 1968) 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 matronymic “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, sea; ops, eye, referring to its color, “suggesting” that of the Matasami (eye of the sea), Malacanthus latovittatus (Perciformes: Malacanthidae)
Elacatinus phthirophagus Sazima, Carvalho-Filho & Sazima 2008 phtheiros, louse; phagos, 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, forward; chilos, lips, referring to forward position of mouth as contrasted to E. genie
Elacatinus puncticulatus (Ginsburg 1938) 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) ruber, red; frons, front, 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, ichthyologists James C. Tyler (b. 1935) and William N. Eschmeyer (b. 1939); nox, night, referring to its dark color
Elacatinus xanthiprora (Böhlke & Robins 1968) xanthus, yellow; prora, prow, referring to yellow mid-rostral stripe
Eleotrica Ginsburg 1933 –ica, belonging to: etymology not explained, perhaps referring to its initial classification 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, belonging to: the “well-known” ichthyologist Barton Warren Evermann (1853-1932), for his “kind assistance”
Evermannichthys bicolor Thacker 2001 two-colored, referring to its distinctive color pattern, dark on dorsal third of body, pale on remainder
Evermannichthys convictor Böhlke & Robins 1969 guest, referring to its living deep within the canals of sponges
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 pug-nosed, referring to its facial appearance
Evermannichthys spongicola (Radcliffe 1917) spongi-; sponge; –cola, 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 the Greek prefix eu-, good or well, i.e., very; iota, smallest letter in the Greek alphabet and 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) a checkerboard, presumably referring to each scale with a dark border
Eviota afelei Jordan & Seale 1906 in honor of Afele, a Samoan boy who collected type from coral heads in Pago Pago
Eviota albolineata Jewett & Lachner 1983 albus, white; lineata, lined, referring to pale stripes laterally situated on head
Eviota algida Greenfield & Erdmann 2014 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 matronymic “ae”]
Eviota amphipora Greenfield & Erdmann 2020 amphi-, both sides or double; poros, hole, referring to pair of PITO (posterior interorbital) pores, one on each side of interorbital area
Eviota ancora Greenfield & Suzuki 2011 hooked, referring to distinctive orange hook-shaped marking on side of head
Eviota angustifascia Greenfield & Erdmann 2020 angustus, narrow; fascia, band, referring to narrow, white, vertical lines crossing body
Eviota aquila Greenfield & Jewett 2014 dark-colored or blackish, referring to its generally dark coloration, particularly the head, nape and cheek
Eviota asymbasia Greenfield & Jewett 2016 Greek for inconsistency, referring to its preopercular pores, which are usually, but not always, absent
Eviota atauroensis Greenfield, Erdmann & Tornabene 2023 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Ataro Island, Timor-Lest, type locality
Eviota atriventris Greenfield & Suzuki 2012 atri-, black; ventris, belly, referring to black pigment in area of abdomen
Eviota bifasciata Lachner & Karnella 1980 bi-, two; fasciata, banded, referring to upper and lower dark streaks on caudal peduncle and caudal fin
Eviota bilunula Greenfield & Suzuki 2016 bi-, two; lunula, little moon, referring to two distinctive black crescent-shaped marks underneath pectoral fin
Eviota bimaculata Lachner & Karnella 1980 bi-, two; maculata, spotted, referring to pair of dark occipital spots on each side of head
Eviota bipunctata Greenfield & Jewett 2016 bi-, two; punctata, 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 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 type and played a “major role” in surveying the fishes of the Seychelles Islands
Eviota deminuta Tornabene, Ahmadia & Williams 2013 small or diminutive, referring to its “tiny size and reduced morphology” (reaching 11.8 mm SL)
Eviota disrupta Karnella & Lachner 1981 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-, two; stigma, mark or spot, referring to two black spots at base of pectoral fin
Eviota dorsimaculata Tornabene, Ahmadia & Williams 2013 dorsi-, back; maculata, spotted, referring to spot on dorsal half of caudal peduncle
Eviota dorsogilva Greenfield & Randall 2011 dorso-, back; gilvus, pale yellow, referring to color of body above lateral line
Eviota dorsopurpurea Greenfield & Randall 2011 dorso-, back; purpura, purple, referring to color of body above lateral line
Eviota epiphanes Jenkins 1903 etymology not explained, perhaps from epiphaneia, striking appearance, referring to its blue and sometimes “very bright” belly, orange caudal fin and translucent body, and/or from epiphainein, to come suddenly into view, referring to how this minute goby was collected by breaking up heads of coral over a dip net
Eviota epistigmata Greenfield & Jewett 2014 epi, over; stigmata, spot or mark, 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 deceitful or false, referring to its superficial similarity to E. natalis
Eviota fasciola Karnella & Lachner 1981 diminutive of fascia, band, referring to dark, discrete vertical bars nearly encircling trunk
Eviota filamentosa Sukuzi & Greenfield 2014 filamentous, referring to thread-like first dorsal-fin spine
Eviota flaviarma Greenfield & Erdmann 2021 flavus, yellow; arma, shouldered, referring to yellow upper pectoral-fin base
Eviota flavipinnata Suzuki, Greenfield & Motomura 2015 flavus, yellow; pinna, fin, referring to its golden-yellow dorsal and caudal fins
Eviota flebilis Greenfield, Suzuki & Shibukawa 2014 tearful, referring to distinctive tear-like red line under eye
Eviota fluctiphila Greenfield, Erdmann & Mambrasar 2022 fluctus, ocean waves; phila, loving, 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 twin, referring to its “great similarity” to E. randalli
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 dappled or speckled, referring to numerous fine spots on upper head, trunk and caudal fin
Eviota herrei Jordan & Seale 1906 in honor of 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), Australian Museum (Sydney), for his “important” contributions to the systematics of gobioid fishes
Eviota imitata Greenfield, Tornabene & Edrmann 2017 mimicked or imitated, referring to its similarity to E. flebilis
Eviota indica Lachner & Karnella 1980 Indian, referring to its distribution in the Indian Ocean
Eviota infulata (Smith 1957) 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 useless, named for type locality, Useless Inlet, Shark Bay, Western Australia
Eviota irrasa Karnella & Lachner 1981 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, belonging to: Japan, referring to its occurrence in Japanese waters
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 kara, head; spilos, spot, referring to its distinctive occipital spot
Eviota kermadecensis Hoese & Stewart 2012 –ensis, 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 type of this one [a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]
Eviota lachdeberei Giltay 1933 patronym 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, tear, referring to dark bar below eye, across lip to the chin
Eviota lacrimosa Tornabene, Ahmadia & Williams 2013 tearful or weeping, referring to bar below eye, which is reminiscent of a tear
Eviota lateritea Greenfield & Winterbottom 2016 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, broad or wide; fasciata, banded, referring to broad subcutaneous bars on trunk
Eviota lentiginosa Greenfield & Randall 2017 full of freckles, referring to many tiny dark spots covering yellow head and body
Eviota longirostris Tornabene, Greenfield & Erdmann 2021 longus, long; rostris, snout, referring to relatively long snout compared with others in the E. zebrina complex
Eviota maculibotella Greenfield & Winterbottom 2016 maculos, spotted; botellus, a small sausage (apparently the origin of the English word pudding), 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 spotted, referring to distinctive large black spots on first dorsal fin of males
Eviota marerubrum Tornabene, Greenfield & Erdmann 2021 maris, sea; ruber, 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 melanos, black; sphena, wedge, referring to dark, wedge-shaped mark at base of caudal fin
Eviota melasma Lachner & Karnella 1980 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 type was collected
Eviota mimica Greenfield & Randall 2016 imitative, referring to its superficial similarity to E. minuta
Eviota minuta Greenfield & Jewett 2014 little or small, referring to its small size, almost always under 14 mm SL
Eviota monostigma Fourmanoir 1971 mono-, one; stigma, mark or spot, referring to black blotch at base of pectoral fin
Eviota natalis Allen 2007 Christmas, named for Christmas Island, eastern Indian Ocean, where it is endemic
Eviota nebulosa Smith 1958 cloudy or dark, presumably referring to its color in alcohol, “milky grey with dusky specklings and marks”
Eviota nigramembrana Greenfield & Suzuki 2013 nigra, black; membrana, membrane, referring to distinctive black pigment on opercular membrane
Eviota nigripinna Lachner & Karnella 1980 nigra, black; pinna, fin, referring to black first dorsal fin
Eviota nigrispina Greenfield & Suzuki 2010 nigra, black; spina, backbone, referring to black pigment extending along backbone
Eviota nigriventris Giltay 1933 nigra, black; ventris, belly, referring to black or dusky ventral half of body in alcohol (red in living specimens)
Eviota notata Greenfield & Jewett 2012 marked, referring to large, dark marks on head and nape
Eviota occasa Greenfield, Winterbottom & Suzuki 2014 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, little eye; fero, to bear, referring to semi-ocellated spot on anteroventral part of first dorsal fin
Eviota oculineata Tornabene, Greenfield & Erdmann 2021 oculis, eye; lineata, striped, referring to stripes through eye, which distinguishes it from E. cometa
Eviota oculopiperita Greenfield & Bogorodsky 2014 oculus, eye; piperita, specific name of the peppermint plant, Mentha piperita, referring to color of 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 spotted like a leopard, referring to its numerous body spots
Eviota partimacula Randall 2008 partio, divide; macula, spot, referring to large black spot at base of caudal fin that is nearly divided by a midlateral pale dash
Eviota pellucida Larson 1976 clear or transparent, referring to its transparent rose-pink coloration in life (plain yellowish in alcohol)
Eviota perspicilla Fujiwara, Suzuki & Motomura 2019 eyeglasses or spectacles, referring to two small circular translucent white spots along first dorsal-fin base
Eviota pictifacies Greenfield & Erdmann 2017 pictus, painted; facies, 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 peppered, referring to “heavy peppering” of melanophores over head and rest of body
Eviota prasina (Klunzinger 1871) leek, referring to light-green, leek-like coloration
Eviota prasites Jordan & Seale 1906 prasina, leek; –ites, like, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to superficial similarity to E. prasina
Eviota pseudaprica Winterbottom & Greenfield 2020 pseudo-, false, referring to similarity in coloration with Sueviota aprica, especially on the nape
Eviota pseudostigma Lachner & Karnella 1980 pseudo-, false; stigma, mark or spot, referring to incomplete development of pectoral-base spot compared to E. monostigma
Eviota pseudozebrina Tornabene, Greenfield & Erdmann 2021 pseudo-, false, i.e., although it may resemble E. zebrina, such an appearance is false
Eviota punctulata Jewett & Lachner 1983 diminutive of punctum, spot, 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, 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 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 goby taxonomist Richard Winterbottom (b. 1944), Royal Ontario Museum, who made important collections in Fiji, also recognized this species as undescribed, and provided invaluable help to the first author
Eviota rubra Greenfield & Randall 1999 red, referring to its bright-red markings in life
Eviota rubriceps Greenfield & Jewett 2011 rubrum, red; ceps, head, referring to its distinctive red head in life
Eviota rubriguttata Greenfield & Suzuki 2011 ruber, red; guttatus, spotted, referring to distinctive red spots on dorsal and anal fins
Eviota rubrimaculata Suzuki, Greenfield & Motomura 2015 rubra, red; macula, spot, referring to distinctive red spots on head and body
Eviota rubrisparsa Greenfield & Randall 2010 rubra, red; sparsus, sprinkled, referring to “main live color pattern of red dots”
Eviota saipanensis Fowler 1945 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Saipan Island, western Pacific, 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 adorned with little figures or marks, referring to seven dark, subcutaneous ventral midline spots
Eviota singula Greenfield & Winterbottom 2016 one, referring to the single obvious dark spot on occiput
Eviota smaragdus Jordan & Seale 1906 emerald, presumably referring to “translucent, bright grass-green” color of one specimen (another specimen was greenish yellow)
Eviota sodwanaensis Greenfield & Winterbottom 2016 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Sodwana Bay, Kwazulu-Natal Province, South Africa, type locality
Eviota sparsa Jewett & Lachner 1983 sprinkled or flecked, referring to chromatophores scattered over body
Eviota specca Greenfield, Suzuki & Shibukawa 2014 speckled, referring to heavy speckling of chromatophores over body
Eviota spilota Lachner & Karnella 1980 spot, referring to spots on second dorsal fin
Eviota springeri Greenfield & Jewett 2012 in honor of ichthyologist Victor G. Springer (b. 1928), 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) 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 matronymic “ae”]
Eviota thamani Greenfield & Randall 2016 in honor of Randolph R. Thaman, 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 like a tiger, 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 patronymic “i”]
Eviota variola Lachner & Karnella 1980 spotted, referring to spots on first dorsal-fin spine and filament
Eviota winterbottomi Greenfield & Randall 2010 in honor of Richard Winterbottom (b. 1944), Royal Ontario Museum, who first recognized this species as new from specimens he collected in Viêt Nam, maintains a working key to species of the genus, and provides valuable advice on goby systematics
Eviota zebrina Lachner & Karnella 1978 like a zebra, referring to dark oblique bars on caudal fin
Eviota zonura Jordan & Seale 1906 zona, belt or girdle; oura, tail, presumably referring to black bar before base of caudal fin
Exyrias Jordan & Seale 1906 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 patronymic “i”]
Exyrias belissimus (Smith 1959) misspelling of bellissimus, very beautiful, presumably referring to its “brilliant” coloration in life
Exyrias ferrarisi Murdy 1985 in honor of ichthyologist Carl Ferraris, Jr. (b. 1950), who collected type specimens 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, west wind, referring to type locality of F. lateralis (type species) in Western Australia; gobius, goby
Favonigobius exquisitus Whitley 1950 exquisite, a “beautiful little fish”
Favonigobius gymnauchen (Bleeker 1860) gymnos, bare or naked; auchen, nape, referring to a scaleless triangular space extending backward from occiput to insertion of first dorsal fin
Favonigobius lateralis (Macleay 1881) of the side, presumably referring to five large, reddish-brown spots “along the middle of each side of the body”
Favonigobius lentiginosus (Richardson 1844) 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) melano-, black; branchus, gills, referring to black median band on under surface of head
Favonigobius opalescens (Herre 1936) 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) 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 Reiche (forename not given), who collected type, possibly M. Th. Reiche, Civil Medical Service, Dutch East Indies
Feia Smith 1959 ugly or ugly one, allusion not explained (but illustration of F. nympha that accompanies description depicts an unattractive fish relative to many other gobies)
Feia dabra Winterbottom 2005 an 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 mark, referring to pale spots on dorsal part of body
Feia nympha Smith 1959 nymph, an immature form of an insect that does not change greatly as it grows, probably referring to this goby’s small size (27 mm), and reflecting Smith’s comment that it is “[c]learly 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 type; “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 patronymic “i”; third author’s name misspelled “Books” in original description]
Fusigobius Whitley 1930 etymology not explained, perhaps fusi-, fused, referring to fully united pelvic fins of F. neophytus (another explanation is fusus, spindle, but goby does not appear spindle-shaped to us); gobius, goby
Fusigobius aureus Chen & Shao 1997 yellow (or golden), referring to many golden-yellow spots scattered on body and fins
Fusigobius duospilus Hoese & Reader 1985 duo, two; spilos, spot, referring to two dark spots on dorsal fin
Fusigobius gracilis (Randall 2001) slender, being the most slender species of the genus
Fusigobius humeralis (Randall 2001) reference to black spot in humeral region, its most conspicuous marking’
Fusigobius humerosus Kovačić, Bogorodsky & Alpermann 2023 –osus, 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-, inner; maculatus, spotted, referring to elongate internal black-and-white spots, which are conspicuous in life
Fusigobius longispinus Goren 1978 longus, long; spinus, spine, referring to very long first spine of anterior dorsal fin
Fusigobius maximus (Randall 2001) largest, reaching 75 mm SL, the largest species of the genus
Fusigobius melacron (Randall 2001) melas, black; akron, top or tip, referring to dark upper part of dorsal fin, its most characteristic color marking
Fusigobius neophytus (Günther 1877) neo, new; phytos, grow, i.e., a beginner, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its size, a “tiny little fish” (translation), reaching 5 cm
Fusigobius pallidus (Randall 2001) pale, referring to almost complete lack of color markings of preserved specimens
Fusigobius signipinnis Hoese & Obika 1988 signus, flag or sign; pinnis, fin, often seen flicking its first dorsal fin, which exposes a large black blotch that covers tips of first four rays
Gammogobius Bath 1971 gammo-, in honor of R. Gammon, Occidental College (Los Angeles, CA, USA), who collected type; gobius, goby
Gammogobius steinitzi Bath 1971 in honor of the late Heinz Steinitz (1909-1971), marine biologist and herpetologist (Hebrew University, Jerusalem), “whose unexpected death represents a great loss to ichthyology” (translation)
Ginsburgellus Böhlke & Robins 1968 –ellus, diminutive connoting endearment: in honor of Isaac Ginsburg (1886-1975), U.S. National Museum, “prominent student of American gobies”
Ginsburgellus novemlineatus (Fowler 1950) novem, nine; lineatus, lined, referring to nine “narrow pearly blue to white lines or bands” on body
Gladiogobius Herre 1933 gladius, sword, referring to large spine, “shaped like a rooster’s spur,” at posterior angle of preopercle of G. ensifer
Gladiogobius brevispinis Shibukawa & Allen 2007 brevis, short; spinis, spine, referring to distinctive preopercular spine, shortest in the genus
Gladiogobius ensifer Herre 1933 ensis, sword; fero, to 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 glossum, tongue, referring to deeply emarginate tongue of G. platycephalus (=giuris); gobius, goby
Glossogobius ankaranensis Banister 1994 –ensis, 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 gold, referring to its common name, pla bu tong (golden goby), along the Chao Phraya River of Thailand
Glossogobius bellendenensis Hoese & Allen 2009 –ensis, 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-, two; cirrhosus, curled, referring to two short, thick, triangular barbels protruding from its chin
Glossogobius brunnoides (Nichols 1951) –oides, having the form of: 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 type
Glossogobius callidus (Smith 1937) 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, adjectival suffix: Celebes (now Sulawesi), Indonesia, where it appears to be endemic
Glossogobius circumspectus (Macleay 1883) cautious or wary, allusion not explained nor evident
Glossogobius clitellus Hoese & Allen 2012 saddle, referring to prominent saddles on back
Glossogobius coatesi Hoese & Allen 1990 in honor of fisheries scientist David Coates, who helped collect type, for his collecting and logistics assistance in Papua New Guinea
Glossogobius concavifrons (Ramsay & Ogilby 1886) concavus, hollowed or arched inward; frons, forehead, referring to obtuse snout, “its profile concave posteriorly”
Glossogobius flavipinnis (Aurich 1938) flavus, yellow; pinnis, fin, referring to yellow first dorsal fin
Glossogobius giuris (Hamilton 1822) latinization of ghiyuri, one of its local Gangetic names in India (per Hamilton’s notes as published by Hora in 1934)
Glossogobius gnomus Hoese, Allen & Hadiaty 2017 gnome, a diminutive fabled being or dwarf, referring to its small size (24-32.5 mm SL)
Glossogobius hoesei Allen & Boeseman 1982 in honor of Douglass F. Hoese (b. 1942), Curator of Ichthyology at the Australian Museum (Sydney), for contributions to the knowledge of gobiid taxonomy
Glossogobius illimis Hoese & Allen 2012 without mud or clear, referring to its habitat of sandy, clear streams
Glossogobius intermedius Aurich 1938 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 (1803)
Glossogobius koragensis Herre 1935 –ensis, Koragu, New Guinea, type locality
Glossogobius laticeps (De Vis 1884) latus, wide; ceps, head, referring to width of head, described as 1⅘ times its length
Glossogobius macrocephalus Hoese & Allen 2015 macro-, large; cephalus, head, referring to its large and robust head, its length 32.9-34.9% SL
Glossogobius mahalonensis Hoese, Hadiaty & Herder 2015 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Lake Mahalona, Sulawesi, Indonesia, where it is endemic
Glossogobius matanensis (Weber 1913) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Lake Matano, Sulawesi, Indonesia, type locality (also occurs in lakes Mahalona, Towuti and Lontoa)
Glossogobius minutus Geevarghese & John 1983 small, referring to small size compared to congeners known at the time
Glossogobius multipapillus Hoese & Allen 2015 multi-, many; papillus, bud, 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 Latin for fly, referring to Fly River, Papua New Guinea, type locality
Glossogobius nanus Hoese, Allen & Hadiaty 2017 dwarf, referring to its small size (up to ~50 mm SL)
Glossogobius obscuripinnis (Peters 1868) obscurus, dark or indistinct; pinnis, fin, 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) olive-green, referring to its predominant color in life
Glossogobius pavo (Steindachner 1867) 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 dwarf, referring to its small size (24-41 mm SL)
Glossogobius robertsi Hoese & Allen 2009 in honor of ichthyologist Tyson R. Roberts (b. 1940), who collected most of the type material
Glossogobius sandakanensis Inger 1957 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Sandakan, northern Borneo, type locality
Glossogobius sentaniensis Hoese & Allen 2015 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Lake Sentani, New Guinea, type locality
Glossogobius sparsipapillus Akihito & Meguro 1976 sparsi, sparse; papillus, bud, referring to irregularly scattered rows of pit organs on opercle
Glossogobius tenuiformis Fowler 1934 tenuis, slender; formis, shape or form, referring to its slenderer body compared with G. giuris
Glossogobius torrentis Hoese & Allen 1990 swift stream, referring to its occurrence in swift mountain streams at elevations between 200 and 1800 m
Gobiodon Bleeker 1856 gobius, goby; odon, tooth, referring to pair of posterior canines near symphysis of lower jaw of G. heterospilos
Gobiodon acicularis Harold & Winterbottom 1995 needle-like, referring to elongated first dorsal-fin spine, characteristic of this species
Gobiodon albofasciatus Sawada & Arai 1972 albus, white; fasciatus, banded, referring to broad whitish longitudinal band along lateral line
Gobiodon albolineatus Smith 1959 albus, white; lineatus, 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), a Japanese ichthyologist who first provided accounts of this species from Japan (as G. rivulatus) with an excellent illustration
Gobiodon ater Herler, Bogorodsky & Suzuki 2013 black, referring to its uniformly black coloration in life, including the eye
Gobiodon atrangulatus Garman 1903 atra-, black, angulatus, angled, referring to small black spot on “upper angle” of gill cover
Gobiodon axillaris De Vis 1884 axillary, referring to blackish-red spot above axil of pectoral fin
Gobiodon bilineatus Herler, Bogorodsky & Suzuki 2013 bi-, two; lineatus, 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 with projecting 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, suffix denoting place: Ceram, Indonesia, type locality (also occurs in Papua New Guinea and Queensland, Australia)
Gobiodon citrinus (Rüppell 1838) like a citron (a lemon-like fruit), referring to yellow body and fins
Gobiodon erythrospilus Bleeker 1875 erythros, red; spilos, mark or spot, referring to stripes and spots on head and body a “beautiful carmine” (translation)
Gobiodon fulvus Herre 1927 tawny or brownish yellow, referring to uniform pale brown color in alcohol
Gobiodon fuscoruber Herler, Bogorodski & Suzuki 2013 fuscus, brown; ruber, red, referring to uniformly reddish-brown color in life
Gobiodon heterospilos Bleeker 1856 heteros, different; spilos, 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) 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 referring to its variable coloration, “in particular its irregular red wavy lines on the head and upper body in juveniles and subadults”
Gobiodon micropus Günther 1861 micro-, small; pous, foot, referring to “very short” ventral-fin disc, “not quite one-half the length of the head, not adherent to the belly”
Gobiodon multilineatus Wu 1979 multi-, many; lineatus, 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 ocula, eye; lineatus, lined, referring to two bluish transverse eyes originating under eye
Gobiodon okinawae Sawada, Arai & Abe 1972 of Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, Japan, type locality (occurs from Cocos-Keeling Islands to Marshall Islands, and from Australia and Japan to Solomon Islands)
Gobiodon prolixus Winterbottom & Harold 2005 stretched out, referring to its more elongate body compared to congeners
Gobiodon quinquestrigatus (Valenciennes 1837) quinque, five; strigatus, 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 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) rivulated, i.e., 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 spilos, spot; ophthalmus, eye, presumably referring to large, blackish brown spots on head
Gobiodon unicolor (Castelnau 1873) uni-, one, presumably referring to its light, apparently uniform, reddish-brown color “after dessication”
Gobiodon winterbottomi Suzuki, Yanao & Senou 2012 in honor of Richard Winterbottom (b. 1944), Royal Ontario Museum, for his “great” contribution to our knowledge of the gobioid systematics
Gobiopsis Steindachner 1861 –opsis, 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, narrow; frons, forehead, presumably referring to its narrow head
Gobiopsis arenaria (Snyder 1908) sandy, referring to its occurrence in sandy pools
Gobiopsis atrata (Griffin 1933) 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 artist for many years
Gobiopsis canalis Lachner & McKinney 1978 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 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) leios, smooth; lepis, scale, presumably referring to its cycloid scales [authorship may be attributable to Bleeker in Koumans 1931]
Gobiopsis macrostomus Steindachner 1861 macro-, large; stomus, mouth, referring to its “very wide and gaping” mouth (translation)
Gobiopsis malekulae (Herre 1935) of Malekula Island, Vanuatu, type locality (also occurs in Indonesia and the Philippines)
Gobiopsis namnas Shibukawa 2010 abbreviation of National Museum of Nature and Science (Tokyo, Japan), which conducted the deep-water biological survey that collected the type series
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 patronymic “i”]
Gobiopsis quinquecincta (Smith 1931) quinque, five; cincta, belt or girdle, 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 Victor G. Springer (b. 1928), Curator of Fishes, U.S. National Museum, who collected type
Gobiopsis uranophilus Prokofiev 2016 urano, heaven; philos, friend, referring to dorsal orientation of eyes, similar to the stargazer family, Uranoscopidae [usually –philus (loving) names are adjectives but its use here is as a noun (Artém 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, goby; soma, body, allusion not explained; Girard established this genus for Gobius that are “deprived of scales”
Gobiosoma aceras (Ginsburg 1939) a-, without; ceras, 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 patronymic “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) hemi-, partial; gymnos, bare or naked, referring to scaleless anterior half of body
Gobiosoma hildebrandi (Ginsburg 1939) in honor of Samuel F. Hildebrand (1883-1949), colleague at the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, who collected type
Gobiosoma homochroma (Ginsburg 1939) homos, same; chroma, color, referring to body color, “nearly uniformly and very moderately dusky”
Gobiosoma longipala Ginsburg 1933 longus, long; pala, shovel, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to middle rays of ventral disk reaching anal-fin origin
Gobiosoma nudum (Meek & Hildebrand 1928) bare or naked, its “scales wanting”
Gobiosoma paradoxum (Günther 1861) 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 robust or full-bodied, 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 type and provided notes on its ecology
Gobiosoma seminudum (Günther 1861) semi-, half; nudum, bare, 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) spot or mark, presumably referring to a longitudinal median row of spots
Gobiosoma yucatanum Dawson 1971 –anum, belonging to: Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, where type locality (Quintana Roo) is situated
Gobitrichinotus Fowler 1943 gobius, goby, presumably referring to goby-like shape or appearance; Trichonotus, then placed in the sanddiver family Trichonotidae
Gobitrichinotus arnoulti Kiener 1963 patronym 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 radium, ray; ocularis, 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
Gobius Linnaeus 1758 from the Greek kóttos (κόττος), kṓthos (κῶθος) and a few similar words, denoting a bulging head, used as a name for small freshwater fishes with a large head (Gobius, freshwater gudgeon, and Cottus, sculpin, which some early naturalists conflated with gobies, have the same etymological source)
Subgenus Gobius
Gobius ater Bellotti 1888 black, referring to often uniformly black vertical and caudal fins (sometimes with small grayish spots)
Gobius ateriformis Brito & Miller 2001 formis, form or shape, referring to its superficial resemblance to G. ater
Gobius auratus Risso 1810 gold, 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 Bucˇic´), who collected type
Gobius cobitis Pallas 1814 ancient Greek for small fishes that bury in the bottom and/or are like a 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 blood-red, presumably referring to red markings or blotches around mouth
Gobius fallax Sarato 1889 false or deceitful, referring to how it had previously been misidentified as either G. auratus, G. geniporus or G. ophiocephalus
Gobius gasteveni Miller 1974 in honor of 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 genys, cheek; porus, hole or pore, referring to 4-5 large pores along edge of preoperculum
Gobius incognitus Kovačić & Šanda 2016 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, suffix denoting place: latinization of Quasir, referring to Al-Qusair, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt, type locality
Gobius luteus Kolombatović 1891 yellow, referring to it golden-yellow coloration
Gobius niger niger Linnaeus 1758 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 latization of paganelli, Venetian name for this goby according to Rondelet (1554)
Gobius roulei de Buen 1928 in honor of French zoologist Louis Roule (1861-1942), who collected type
Gobius rubropunctatus Delais 1951 rubro-, red; punctatus, 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 herpetologist Giuseppe Scortecci (1898-1973), University of Genoa, who collected type
Gobius senegambiensis Metzelaar 1919 –ensis, suffix denoting place: etymology not explained, presumably referring to 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)
Gobius silveiraemartinsi Ihering 1893 of Silveira Martins, a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, where this species (of uncertain validity) appears to be endemic
Gobius strictus Fage 1907 bound, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to a small protruding membrane that connects the ventral fins (a doubtful species, possibly a juvenile G. cruentatus)
Gobius tetrophthalmus Brito & Miller 2001 tetra, four; ophthalmus, 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 striped, referring to chestnut-black stripe extending from snout to base of caudal fin
Gobius xanthocephalus Heymer & Zander 1992 xanthos, yellow; cephalus, 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 holotye) was collected; both goby and kestrel share an orange-brown coloration
Subgenus Zosterisessor Whitley 1935 Zostera, marine eelgrass genus; sessor, inhabitant, referring to occurrence of G. ophiocephalus in eelgrass meadows [replacement name for Zostericola Iljin 1927 (-cola, inhabitant of), preoccupied in Mollusca]
Gobius ophiocephalus Pallas 1814 ophio-, snake; cephalus, 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 goby taxonomist 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) 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 that collected type, 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 for G. nigricinctus; gobius, goby
Gorogobius nigricinctus (Delais 1951) nigro-, black; cinctus, girdle or belt, referring to numerous transverse, dark bands on head and encircling body
Gorogobius stevcici Kovačić & Schliewen 2008 in honor of carcinologist Zdravko Števćić, who encouraged and helped the first author in the beginning of his work on gobies
Grallenia Shibukawa & Iwata 2007 –ia, 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, sand; colere, to inhabit, referring to sandy substrate habitat
Grallenia baliensis Allen & Erdmann 2012 –ensis, 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 ornamented, referring to orange markings on head, body and fins
Grallenia dimorpha Allen & Erdmann 2017 di-, two; morpha, shape, 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 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, 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, black; fasicata, 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, black; marginata, margined, 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 rubrum, red; lineatus, 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
Gunnellichthys Bleeker 1858 gunnell (Pholis gunnellus, Perciformes: Pholidae), referring to gunnel-like shape of G. pleurotaenia and/or to its presumed close relationship to Pholidichthys (Cichliformes: Pholidichthyidae), all of which Bleeker regarded as blennies; ichthys, fish
Gunnellichthys copleyi (Smith 1951) in honor of Hugh Copley, Fish Warden of Kenya, who collected “valuable ichthyological material,” including type of this goby
Gunnellichthys curiosus Dawson 1968 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) grand, large; oculis, eye, referring to its “very large eyes”
Gunnellichthys irideus Smith 1958 rainbow-like, presumably referring to its multiple colors: purple, yellow, red green, blue, orange and “milky white”
Gunnellichthys monostigma Smith 1958 mono-, one; stigma, mark or spot, presumably referring to small black spot on rear of gill cover
Gunnellichthys pleurotaenia Bleeker 1858 pleuro-, side; taenia, ribbon, referring to brown, white-edged streak from snout, through eye, to middle of caudal fin
Gunnellichthys viridescens Dawson 1968 viridis, green; –escens, becoming, referring to its generally greenish appearance
Gymneleotris Bleeker 1874 gymnos, bare or naked, 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-, partial; nudus, 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, 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 ammos, sand; philo, to love, referring to its predilection for sand-bottom habitats [name proposed in 2021 but not made available until 2023]
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 enter, step or go into, 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, spot or mark; pinna, fin, referring to black spot on first dorsal fin
Hazeus otakii Jordan & Snyder 1901 in 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 profusus Allen & Erdmann 2023 abundant or profuse, referring to its abundance on sand-bottom habitats [name proposed in 2021 but not made available until 2023]
Hetereleotris Bleeker 1874 heteros, 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 apora (Hoese & Winterbottom 1979) a-, without; porus, pore, referring to lack of sensory canal openings on head
Hetereleotris aurantiaca Kovačić, Bogorodsky & Mal 2019 orange, referring to prevalence of orange color in head, body and fin rays
Hetereleotris bipunctata Tortonese 1976 bi-, two; punctata, 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) like or having an oven, furnace or fireplace, allusion not explained nor evident
Hetereleotris diademata (Rüppell 1830) a cloth headband, probably referring to brown stripe that passes over forehead and through eyes to operculum
Hetereleotris dorsovittata Kovačić & Bogorodsky 2014 dorsum, back; vittata, banded, referring to longitudinal black submarginal bands on first and second dorsal fins
Hetereleotris exilis Shibukawa 2010 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 Vuma, northern Kenya, type locality
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, nose; ramosa, branched, referring to well-developed, branched process extending from rims of both anterior and posterior nostrils
Hetereleotris nebulofasciata (Smith 1958) nebulosus, cloudy or dark; fasciata, 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) variegated, 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 psammos, sand; phila, loving, referring to its sand-bottom habitat
Hetereleotris semisquamata Kovačić, Bogorodsky & Mal 2019 semi-, half; squamata, scaly, 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) tentacled, referring to a large fleshy tentacle above each eye
Hetereleotris vinsoni Hoese 1986 in honor of Jean-Michel Vinson, zoologist and scientific illustrator, who illustrated the types of H. margaretae and this species, as well as other gobiid species
Hetereleotris vulgaris (Klunzinger 1871) common, described as “very common” (translation) among Stylophora coral in the Red Sea
Hetereleotris zanzibarensis (Smith 1958) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Zanzibar, Tanzania, western Indian Ocean, type locality
Hetereleotris zonata (Fowler 1934) 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 heteros, different, distinguished from the superficially similar Acanthogobius (Oxudercidae) in having a deeply emarginate tail; gobius, goby (perhaps in this case a shortening of Acanthogobius)
Heterogobius chiloensis (Guichenot 1848) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Isla de Chiloé, near San Carlos, Chile, type locality
Heteroplopomus Tomiyama 1936 etymology not explained, perhaps heteros, different; [h]oplo, armed; pomus, lid or covering (operculum), “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) 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])