Cleaning goby (Elacatinus genie)
Key facts
- Scientific name
- Elacatinus genie
- Common name
- Cleaning goby
- Category
- Fish
- Family
- Gobiidae
- Genus
- Elacatinus
- Size
- 3–4 cm
- Depth
- 5–30 m
- IUCN status
- Least concern (LC)
- Danger level
- Harmless
- Habitats
- coral-reef
- Behaviours
- solitary, pair, cleaner
- Ocean zones
- Caribbean, Indian Ocean & Red Sea, Eastern Pacific
Description
Elacatinus genie reaches 4 cm. Small cleaner goby with black body and two bright yellow longitudinal bands converging in V towards snout tip. Differentiated from other yellow Elacatinus by this convergence and deeper habitat. Lives from 5 to 30 m on coral reefs of Caribbean notably Bahamas and Gulf of Mexico. Specialist cleaner. Species dedicated to Eugenie Clark, pioneer ichthyologist of marine sciences. Macro photo subject for purists.
Photo of Cleaning goby
Frequently asked questions
- How big is the Cleaning goby?
- Cleaning goby (Elacatinus genie) reaches 3–4 cm in length.
- At what depth can you find the Cleaning goby?
- Cleaning goby is found between 5–30 m deep.
- Is the Cleaning goby dangerous to divers?
- Danger level: Harmless.
- What is the conservation status of the Cleaning goby?
- IUCN status: Least concern (LC).
- Where can you find the Cleaning goby?
- Found in: Caribbean, Indian Ocean & Red Sea, Eastern Pacific.
Other species in the genus Elacatinus
- Elacatinus randalli - Yellowprow goby
- Elacatinus evelynae - Sharknose goby
- Elacatinus puncticulatus - Redhead goby
- Elacatinus oceanops - Neon goby
Other species in the family Gobiidae
- Coryphopterus glaucofraenum - Bridled goby
- Gnatholepis thompsoni - Goldspot goby
- Priolepis hipoliti - Rusty goby
- Gobius cruentatus - Red-mouthed goby
- Gobius bucchichi - Bucchich's goby
- Gobius vittatus - Striped goby
Sources
- Taxonomy: WoRMS (AphiaID 280604)
- Photos: iNaturalist (CC BY-NC)
- Distribution: GBIF (taxonKey 2376707)
- Conservation: IUCN Red List
- Encyclopedia: Wikipedia