Benjamin's Goby

Distinguished by having the following characters: a deep concave, ‘U’-shaped interorbital trench; the bony interorbital about half pupil-diameter in width; with a slight groove posterodorsal to the eye; without median predorsal scales, sides of nape covered with small scales reaching to or near to the eyes; cheek and operculum without scales; base of pectoral-fin with oval, moderate-sized scales; prepelvic area with 5-6 rows of cycloid scales, isthmus naked anteriorly, with one slightly enlarged scale on the membrane between the bases of the pelvic fins; central 6-13 pectoral rays branched, uppermost and lowermost rays unbranched; fifth pelvic-fin ray branched once dichotomously and about 60-75% length of the fourth; all other rays usually with one sequential branch, basal membrane connecting the two pelvic fins only at the base; second dorsal spine longest, usually filamentous, extending at most to midway along the base of the second dorsal fin in Australian material; D2 usually I,10; A usually I, 9; nape crest fleshy from the first dorsal origin to above the operculum; when alive, head and body red, preserved yellow, the head with a thin vertical grey (bluish grey in life) bar from the anteroventral margin of the eye to the middle of the jaws and a second bar extending more-or-less vertically downward onto cheek from about the middle of the eye (often persisting in preserved material as faint grey bars); orbit rimmed with a thin band of melanophores, more distinct dorsally but faded in preserved material (Ref. 100726).

Dorsal spines (total): 7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9 - 10; Analspines: 1; Analsoft rays: 8 - 10

Inhabits coastal and outer reef slopes (Ref. 37816).

Specimens were collected with rotenone (Ref. 13702). Inhabits coastal and outer reef slopes (Ref. 37816, 48637). Benthic, occuring singly or in loose groups, and a plankton-feeder; with prolonged pelagic larval duration of 33.9 days (= 24% of maximum lifespan) and linear post-larval growth; daily mortality rate ranging from 2.9% to 6.3%; sex ratio of 1:1.6 male/females) (Ref. 87294).