Maximum length: 3.5 cm

Depth: 3 - 20 m

Bright yellow Art.

Lembeh Strait North Sulawesi

Maximum length: 12 cm

Depth: 9 - 60 m

Very difficult to photograph, you can only take the photo from a distance,

as they disappear like a flash in the sand as soon as they approach.

Relatively rare in lagoons with Halimeda algae on sandy bottoms.

Like other wormfish, the wormfish dives very quickly into small holes in the sand when threatened.

Diet: Benthic and free-swimming crustaceans.

They live alone or in groups.

Bangka island North Sulawesi

Maximum length: 15 cm

Depth: 1 - 20 m

 This species is often found in lagoons with Halimeda algae patches on sand.

Like other wormfish, it is very difficult to approach it to photograph it,

it immediately dives into small holes in the sand when it feels threatened.

Bangka island North Sulawesi

Maximum length: 4 cm

Depth: 0 - 30 m

Terminal mouth, the body is more or less cylindrical in cross-section and raltively elongated.

The ventral side is whitish, the rest of the body red with white stripes,

which extend over the entire length of the body.

White spots can be seen between the eyes.

Relatively large eyes, orange iris and translucent fins.

Usually sits on coral or other hard surfaces,

where it looks for food, which consists of zooplankton.

Lives in small groups.

Bangka island North Sulawesi

Maximum length: 12 cm

Depth: 1 - 20 m

Whitish body with many dark spots,

often arranged in a net-like pattern.

Not shy, sifts through the sand for small invertebrates

and often takes breaks, lying on the sand.

Lembeh Strait North Sulawesi

 Maximum length: 6.5 cm

Depth: 3 - 20 m

Dark body with narrow, yellow stripes.

Found in rich coral reefs, drop offs and patch reefs in sandy areas.

Always stays close to hiding places.

Photo 1: Hurghada Egypt

Photo 2: Moalboal Philippines

Maximum length: 6 - 8.5 cm

Depth: 2 - 30 m

Inhabits muddy and sandy bottoms of turbid coastal reefs.

Lives solitary or in small groups.

Does not appear to use a burrow and is found in areas with coral growth.

Bangka island North Sulawesi

 Maximum length: 4 cm

Depth: 1 - 20 m

Black with a white back and forehead and large pectoral fins.

Hovers at the entrance to its burrow, waving its fan-like pectoral fins.

Lives together with a partner shrimp.

Very shy.

Hurghada Egypt

 Maximum length: 8 cm

Depth: 6 - 30 m

Variable colouring from yellow, brown to black.

The dorsal fin of the males is elongated.

Lembeh Strait North Sulawesi

 Maximum length: 9 cm

Depth: 6 - 90 metres

They are usually found in pairs in the sea in the current,

a few metres above the bottom where they catch zooplankton.

When danger threatens, they quickly retreat into their burrows in the sandy bottom.

Embudu Maldives

Maximum length: 10 cm

Depth: 3 - 15 m

Usually lives on sandy bottoms in symbiosis with the Alpheus crayfish,

whereby the crayfish builds long tunnels in the sand.

With the help of its scissors, the crab transports the sand out of the cave,

where the goby lies in the sand at the entrance, signalling to it that there is no danger.

On the whitish body of the goby there are five dark yellowish-brown double spots

on the underside, the head and the back of the body have irregular yellowish-brown spots.

Bonaire Caribbean

Maximum length: 16.5 cm

Depth: 2 - 60 m

This species lives in the Caribbean with an Alpheus crab,

which digs deep caves in which the goby finds shelter.

The black spot on the rear edge of the dorsal fin gives it its name.

Bonaire Caribbean

Maximum length: 4 cm

Depth: 5 - 80 m

Sometimes lives on large corals, even several animals on one coral,

preferably on soft corals of the genus Dendronephthya.

They are usually found below 20 meters and are quite well adapted to the coral.

They are very nimble and agile and can disappear in an instant.

Bangka island North Sulawesi

 Maximum length: 3 - 4 cm

Depth: 1 - 130 m

Lives first female and then later male ( protogynous hermaphrodite )

Bonaire Caribbean 

 Maximum length: 14 cm

Depth: 2 - 20 m

In groups or pairs on reef slopes.

They hover far above the bottom to catch plankton.

Hurghada Egypt

Maximum length: 8 - 14 cm

Depth: 5 -46 m

Commonly found in lagoons and seaward reefs,

where they swim in small groups over holes under rocks,

which are partially buried in sandy bottoms, 

where they dive in immediately in case of danger.

Juveniles live in groups, adults live in pairs.

Bangka island North Sulawesi

 Maximum length: 2.5 cm

Depth: 12 - 180 m

Translucent to shapeless grey body, often pink towards the head.

White segments are often visible along the spine.

Bonaire Caribbean

 Maximum length: 10 cm

Depth: 6 - 30 metres

Very difficult to photograph as always moving quickly.

2 eye spots serve as camouflage and are intended to represent large fish.

Lembeh Strait North Sulawesi

 Maximum length: 6 cm

Depth: 8 - 40 m

Close to the coast, on sandy slopes with little rubble,

always hovering above the burrow, hunting zooplankton.

Lembeh Strait North Sulawesi

 Maximum length: 6 cm

Depth: 3 - 45 m

Same species as in the previous photo, only with a black ray on the dorsal fin.

Lembeh Strait North Sulawesi

Maximum length: 2.5 cm

Depth: 5 - 40 m

Unlike other Trimma species, it does not sit under caves, but in exposed places.

Retreats quickly when disturbed.

Bangka island North Sulawesi

 Maximum length: 1.5 - 3 cm

Depth: up to 15 metres

Despite their incredible speed, they often become food for large fish.

Very shy.

Moalboal Philippines

 Maximum length: 25 cm

Depth: 1 - 45 m

They have an elongated, round body with a large mouth.

They live in shallow water over sandy bottoms,

ingesting sand with their mouths and eating the small organisms living in it

and then expelling the sand again through the gill slits.

Bangka Island North Sulawesi 

 Maximum length: 14 cm

Depth: 3 - 25 m

Found on reef slopes and inner reefs near the coast.

Bangka Island North Sulawesi

 Maximum length: 16 cm

Depth: 1 - 10 metres

Black spot in the first dorsal fin, light blue head spots.

Found on fine to muddy sand in bays, lagoons and sheltered outer reefs.

Shy.

Hurghada Egypt

 Maximum length: 14 cm

Depth: 2 - 30 m

Valenciennea sp. is often referred to colloquially as the "Madagascar" sleeper goby.

Hurghada Egypt

 Maximum length: 18 cm

Depth: 1 - 20 m

White-grey body with yellow head and turquoise head stripe.

It is usually found in clear lagoons and on outer reefs,

on sand and rubble, but also on hard substrate,

hovering a little above the bottom.

Photo 1: Bangka Island North Sulawesi

Photo 2: Lembeh Strait North Sulawesi

Maximum length: 12 cm

Depth: 2 - 21 m

At home on fine sand and mud.

White basic colouration with rows of black dots.

Always in symbiosis with grey or brown longitudinally striped crabs,

which dig the burrow into the substrate.

Hurghada Egypt

Maximum length: 4 cm

Depth: 20 - 38 m

The German name refers to the many small yellow dots,

like stars in the sky, densely distributed over its body.

Lives symbiotically together with the Alpheus cf. rapacida crayfish

in a common burrow, which are often found in lagoons and sheltered reefs.

Bangka island North Sulawesi

 Maximum length: 7 cm

Depth: 3 - 18 m

The males show neon blue stripes and dot patterns on the body

and fins and irregular orange-coloured spots on the cheeks.

Females, on the other hand, are much less colourful.

Bangka Island North Sulawesi

 Maximum length: 8 cm

Depth: 3 - 30 m

Dotted body with 3 black spots on both sides of the body and two spots on the back.

Found in pairs on the sand in a self-made burrow.

Bangka Island North Sulawesi