Elacatinus chancei

Elacatinus chancei
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Actinopterygii
Order:Gobiiformes
Family:Gobiidae
Genus:Elacatinus
Species: E. chancei
Binomial name
Elacatinus chancei
(Beebe & Hollister, 1933)
Synonyms
  • Gobiosoma chancei Beebe & Hollister, 1933

Elacatinus chancei, the shortstripe goby, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Gobiidae. It lives inside or on the surface of a sponge and occurs in tropical waters in the west central Atlantic Ocean, the Bahamas, the Antilles, and Venezuela.

Description

The shortstripe goby is a small, slender fish growing to about 5 cm (2.0 in) in length. The dorsal fin is divided into two parts with a total of seven spines and 12 soft rays, while the anal fin has no spines and ten soft rays. [2] The general colour is a translucent pale grey. A bright yellow line starts at the eye and runs to near the pectoral fin. It is lined above and below by black lines which converge and continue as a broad stripe to the tail fin. The gill covers and the skin under the eyes are often suffused with pink.[3]

Distribution

The shortstripe goby is found in the tropical western Atlantic Ocean in the Southern Bahamas, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Caicos Islands, the Lesser Antilles, Aves Island, and some small islands near Venezuela. It seems to live in areas in which the yellowstripe goby (Elacatinus horsti), a closely related species that also inhabits sponges, does not occur.[4]

Biology

The shortstripe goby lives in association with a tubular sponge such as Verongia aerophoba or a massive sponge such as Neofibularia nolitangere. It feeds on the large number of parasitic worms Haplosyllis spongicola that live on the surface of these sponges.[5][3] It spends most of its time inside the osculi of the sponge, but sometimes rests on the outer surface.[4]

Like other members of its family, the shortstripe goby does not have a lateral line system, relying instead on sensory organs in the head.[3]

Name

The specific name honours Colonel Edwin M. Chance, a businessman who sponsored the expedition during which the type was collected.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Pezold, F.; van Tassell, J.; Tornabene, L.; Aiken, K.A. & Bouchereau, J.-L. (2015). "Elacatinus chancei". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T185976A1797646. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  2. ↑ "Elacatinus chancei (Beebe & Hollister, 1933)". FishBase. Retrieved 2012-09-14.
  3. 1 2 3 Alain Feulvarc'h (2010-07-03). "Gobie à lignes courtes" (in French). Sous les Mers. Retrieved 2012-09-14.
  4. 1 2 "Elacatinus chancei Beebe & Hollister 1933". Gobioid Research Institute. Retrieved 2012-09-14.
  5. ↑ Colin, Patrick L. (1978). Marine Invertebrates and Plants of the Living Reef. T.F.H. Publications. p. 111. ISBN 0-86622-875-6.
  6. ↑ Christopher Scharpf; Kenneth J. Lazara (29 May 2018). "Order GOBIIFORMES: Family GOBIIDAE (d-h)". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
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