Firefish Goby

ID points

• Front half creamy white, shading to orange-red at the rear
• The first dorsal fin drawn out into a very tall white spine
• Hovers above its burrow and darts inside the instant it is startled

Basics

Family

Ptereleotridae

Length

6–9 cm

Depth

6-70 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs

Distribution

Sandy bottoms of Indo-Pacific coral reefs

Habitat

Sandy bottoms beside coral reefs

Diet

Zooplankton

Easily confused with

Longnose HawkfishRed grid pattern on white, like checked clothGhost PipefishBody covered in fringed skin flaps, looking like floating debrisOarfishSilvery white ribbon-like body, extremely long and flattened

Fun fact

The Firefish Goby shades from white through vivid red into purple along the length of its body, a gorgeous gradient. It hovers just above sandy bottoms, and at the first hint of danger it dives instantly into a burrow in the sand.