Crescent Dwarfgoby

This species is distinguished by the following characters: cephalic sensory-canal pore system missing only IT pore (pattern 2); dorsal/anal fin-ray formula 7/7 or 8/7; unbranched pectoral-fin rays; 5th pelvic-fin ray 15.9-16.4% of 4th ray; presence of a narrow dark bar at caudal-fin base; with a red line extending down from under eye to jaws; there are 5 postanal ventral-midline spots associated with subcutaneous bars; 2 distinctive black crescent-shaped marks present underneath the pectoral fin (Ref. 113376).

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

Collected from rubble bottom by clove oil at 13.5 m depth (Ref. 113376).

Dorsal-fin rays VI-I,8 (VI-I,7); anal-fin rays I,7; all dorsal- and anal-fin soft rays branched except first, last ray branched to base; first dorsal-fin spine filamentous, extending back to base of third soft ray of second dorsal fin of male holotype, not filamentous in female paratype; pectoral-fin rays 15, all unbranched, fin reaching to second anal-fin ray base; pelvic fins joined by membrane only at extreme base, pelvic-fin membranes between rays absent, pelvic-fin rays I,5; 4 (3) branches on 4th pelvic-fin ray; 2 (1) segments between consecutive branches of 4th pelvic-fin ray, 5th pelvic-fin ray 15.9 (16.4%) of 4th ray, pelvic fin reaching to base of first anal-fin ray; 11 branched and 17 segmented caudal-fin rays; lateral scale rows 23, transverse scale rows 6, no scales on head, nape, breast, pectoral-fin base, midline of abdomen, and wide areas along bases of dorsal fins; cephalic sensorycanal pore system lacking only the IT pore (pattern 2); anterior oculoscapular canal with pores B’, single C, single D, E, and F’, two preopercular-canal pores, N’ and O’; male urogenital papilla smooth with a blunt tip, reaching to anal-fin spine; female urogenital papilla bulbous with short fingers distally; lower jaw slightly projecting, maxilla extending beyond a vertical at posterior margin of pupil; body slender, front of head rounded with an angle of about 70° from horizontal axis; mouth oblique, forming an angle of about 55° to horizontal axis of body; anterior naris tube extending forward just past posterior edge of upper jaw; gill opening extending forward to a vertical just behind back of eye. General body shape shown in Fig. 2. Measurements (percentage of SL): (based on holotype and paratype 9.9–10.9 mm SL) head length 32.9 (33.3); origin of first dorsal fin 37.9 (40.4); origin of second dorsal fin 57.0 (57.5); origin of anal fin 60.3 (60.6); caudalpeduncle length 21.9 (22.2); caudal-peduncle depth 12.1 (13.7); body depth 20.1 (20.2); eye diameter 10.1 (10.5); snout length 4.0 (4.1); upper-jaw length 11.4 (12.1); pectoral-fin length 27.3 (32.9); pelvic-fin length 28.3 (35.6).