Gobiodon
genus of fishes
Gobiodon is a genus of gobies also known as coral gobies or "clown gobies" (which can also mean the related genus Microgobius). Unlike the rest of the family Gobiidae, coral gobies, are not burrowers, instead they inhabit the branches of Acropora or similar hard corals.
As a group, they are small, most ranging about 6 cm, with exceptions. They have a fusiform shape.
Gobiodon burdigalicus from the Burdigalian (Miocene) of southwestern India is the first fossil (otoliths) record of this genus.
Species
Accepted species in this genus include:
Gobiodon acicularis Harold & R. Winterbottom, 1995 (Needlespine coral goby)
Gobiodon albofasciatus Sawada & R. Arai, 1972 (Whitelined coral goby)
Gobiodon aoyagii Shibukawa, T. Suzuki & Aizawa, 2013
Gobiodon ater Herler, Bogorodsky & T. Suzuki, 2013 (Black coralgoby)
Gobiodon atrangulatus Garman, 1903
Gobiodon axillaris De Vis, 1884
Gobiodon bicalvolineatus Hildebrandt, C. A., Froehlich, C. Y. M., Brodnicke, O. B., Klanten, O. S., Møller, P. R., & Wong, M. Y. L., 2024
Gobiodon bilineatus Herler, Bogorodsky & T. Suzuki, 2013 (Two-lined coralgoby)
Gobiodon brochus Harold & R. Winterbottom, 1999
Gobiodon ceramensis (Bleeker, 1853)
Gobiodon citrinus (Rüppell, 1838) (Poison goby)
Gobiodon cobenjaminsis (Hildebrandt, C. A., Froehlich, C. Y. M., Brodnicke, O. B., Klanten, O. S., Møller, P. R., & Wong, M. Y. L, 2024)
Gobiodon fulvus Herre, 1927
Gobiodon fuscoruber Herler, Bogorodsky & T. Suzuki, 2013 (Brown-red coralgoby)
Gobiodon heterospilos Bleeker, 1856
Gobiodon histrio (Valenciennes, 1837) (Broad-barred goby)
Gobiodon irregularis Herler, Bogorodsky & T. Suzuki, 2013 (Rufous coralgoby)
Gobiodon limmoni Wibowo et al., 2026
Gobiodon micropus Günther, 1861
Gobiodon multilineatus H. L. Wu, 1979
Gobiodon oculolineatus H. L. Wu, 1979
Gobiodon okinawae Sawada, R. Arai & T. Abe, 1972 (Okinawa goby)
Gobiodon prolixus R. Winterbottom & Harold, 2005
Gobiodon quinquestrigatus (Valenciennes, 1837) (Five-lined coral goby)
Gobiodon reticulatus Playfair (fr), 1867 (Reticulate goby)
Gobiodon rivulatus (Rüppell, 1830) (Rippled coral goby)
Gobiodon spadix Sato & Motomura 2024 (Akane Coral Goby)
Gobiodon spilophthalmus Fowler, 1944
Gobiodon winterbottomi T. Suzuki, Ko.
The public source identifies “Gobiodon” as genus of fishes. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Gobiodon, genus and fishes.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Gobiodon”, the useful work is to connect “genus of fishes” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q134829. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1995, 1972, 2013 and 1903.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
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Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Gobiodon”, its source revision and the description used here.
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Gobiodon” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.