MAIDEN GOBY
Valenciennea puellaris
(Tomiyama, 1956)    Dorsal rays VI + I,11-13 (usually 12); anal rays I,11-13 (rarely 11, usually 12); pectoral rays 19-22 (rarely 19); longitudinal scale series 72-91; cycloid scales extending forward on side of nape to above middle of operculum; pectoral-fin base naked; prepelvic area partly to fully scaled; first dorsal fin pointed, the third spine longest, 4.6-6.4 in standard length; caudal fin rounded, 3.0-4.2 in standard length; pale gray, shading to white ventrally, with oblique orange-yellow bars or elongate spots on back, interspersed with small, faint, orange-yellow spots; an orange-yellow stripe, faintly edged in pale blue and usually containing more intense orange spots on side of body from beneath pectoral fin to lower base of caudal fin; head with round to oblong, dark-edged, pale blue spots. Reaches 14 cm. Red Sea and southern Oman to Madagascar and Mauritius, east to Caroline Islands, Samoa Islands, and Tonga; southern Japan (type locality, Kiragawa, Kochi Prefecture) to Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia; usually found over moderately fine sand at depths of 10-30 m, but may occur in as little as 2 m in sheltered areas. Hoese & Larson (1994) documented the geographic color variation.

NameMaiden goby 

Max Size17.0 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 9710)

Environmentreef-associated; marine; depth range 2 - 30 m

Climatetropical; 22 - 26°C; 32°N - 24°S

DistributionIndo-Pacific: Red Sea to Samoa, north to southern Japan, south to the Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia.

MorphologyDorsal spines(total): 7; Dorsal soft rays(total): 112; Analspines: 1; Analsoft rays: 11-12

BiologyInhabits sandy areas of clear lagoon and seaward reefs (Ref. 9710). Occurs in pairs and use burrows as refuge. The burrow is shallow, only a few cm, and made under large pieces of rubble. May be found on dark volcanic sand such as those in the Philippines, Indonesia, and the northern Mariana Is.

Fishbase Credit - Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2005.FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (06/2005).

Valenciennea puellaris

Species (Valenciennea puellaris) 8

Genus (Valenciennea) 31

Family (Gobiidae) 300

Location (Anilao) 97

Valenciennea puellaris

ITIS (United States - Interagency Taxonomic Information System)

GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)

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