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Many-host Cling-Goby
Pleurosicya mossambica Smith, 1959
Above and below: A Many-host Cling-Goby at a depth of 15m, Kurnell, Sydney, New South Wales, June 2001. View larger image.
The Many-host Cling-Goby is a tiny fish, that as its common name implies, can be found on a wide range of substrates. These include sponges, hard and soft corals, algae and various invertebrates.
Its colouration is highly variable depending on the substrate where it is found. Colours include pink, yellow and green. There is often a red line from the snout to the eye and the iris is usually red.
The front half of the Many-host Cling-Goby is triangular in cross-section and the ventral surface is broad. Its eyes are positioned close together on the top of the head.
It grows to 26mm in length.
This species occurs in marine waters throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific.
In Australia it is recorded from the central coast of Western Australia, around the tropical north and south to the central coast of New South Wales.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
- Larson, H.K. 1990. A Revision of the commensal Gobiid fish genera Pleurosicya and Luposicya (Gobiidae) with descriptions of eight new species of Pleurosicya and discussion of related genera. The Beagle, Records of the Northern Territory Museum of Arts and Science. 7(1):1-53.
- Myers, R.F. 1999. Micronesian Reef Fishes. Coral Graphics. Pp. 330.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
