Yellow Watchman Goby

ID points

• Bright yellow all over, scattered with small pale blue spots
• Always guards the burrow mouth, sharing the hole with a pistol shrimp
• Bulging eyes and a blunt rounded head

Basics

Family

Gobiidae

Length

7–10 cm

Depth

1-25 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs

Distribution

Sandy reef areas of the Indo-Pacific

Habitat

Sandy burrows beside reefs

Diet

Small crustaceans

Easily confused with

GobyThe two pelvic fins are fused into a single suckerLizard GobyVery small, with a short rounded body flattened side to sideMudskipperTwo eyes bulge from the top of the head and swivel independently

Fun fact

It shares a burrow with a pistol shrimp: the goby stands guard while the shrimp digs and maintains the tunnel, a perfect partnership that pays both sides.

More in this family

• Neon Goby
• Shrimp Goby
• Signal Goby