Cayman cleaner goby

📖 Overview

Cayman cleaner goby (Elacatinus cayman) is a ray-finned fish of the family Gobiidae. It inhabits marine (saltwater) waters in reef-associated environments. This species can reach a maximum total length of 2.3 cm. With a trophic level of 3.2, it is a low-level carnivore, feeding on invertebrates and small organisms. It is assessed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12; Anal soft rays: 11; Vertebrae: 28. This species is distinguished by the following characters: D VII+12; A 11; pectoral rays 16-17; pelvic rays I,5 and fused into a cup; scaleless; inferior mouth; complete upper lip groove (without frenum); color: black upper head and body, pale middorsal streak behind head, lower half of head and ventral aspect of body white, wide iridescent blue lateral band divides black upper body, band contains a full-length midline yellow stripe which extends forward onto upper orbit and meets on snout in a V or U; notably, yellow stripe is of uniform width from eye to tail; the color pattern is distinctive, shared only with rare individuals of E. evelynae YB (YB denotes the yellow-blue striped morph). This species differs from E. evelynae by the absence of the upper-lip frenum; differs from E. genie with the latter having a wider pale lateral band that is often bright white and the indistinct yellow stripe widens prominently behind the eye and no pale middorsal streak behind the head .: elongated; Cross section: compressed.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Cayman cleaner goby is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

🥚 Reproduction

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; reef-associated. Tropical

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🐠 Related Species

🔍 Similar Species

👥 Community & Contribute