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Green-backed Guavina

Bunaka gyrinoides

  • Fish
  • IUCN: Least concern
  • Usual depth0–1 m
  • Water temperature26–30 °C
  • Best monthsOctober
  • How commonRare
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Photo credit: (c) Julien Renoult, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

The greenback guavina is a species of fish in the family Eleotridae that inhabits fresh, marine, and brackish waters in estuaries and mangrove swamps from Sri Lanka to Micronesia and Australia. This species grows to a length of 34 cm (13 in), though most do not exceed 15 cm (5.9 in). This species is the only known member of its genus.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Greenback gauvina”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

  • January: 3 records
  • February: 2 records
  • March: 6 records
  • April: 9 records
  • May: 6 records
  • June: 10 records
  • July: 11 records
  • August: 10 records
  • September: 12 records
  • October: 28 records
  • November: 13 records
  • December: 8 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 0–1 m · Deepest record: 4.6 m

  • 0–10 m: 42 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 26–30 °C

  • 26–28 °C: 5 records
  • 28–30 °C: 37 records

Names and classification

English
Green-backed Guavina, Green Backed Guavina, Green-backed Gudgeon, Greenback Guavina, Greenback Gudgeon
Names in 5 more languages
Filipino
Bunak
French
Lochon têtard
Indonesian
La Poso
Japanese
Ougihaze, オウギハゼ
Simplified Chinese
側帶丘塘鱧

Other scientific names: Boroda francoi, Bunaka pelewensis, Bunaka pinguis, Bunaka sticta, Eleotris gyrinoides, Guavina gyrinoides, Lizettea pelewensis, Oxyeleotris gyrinoides

Similar species

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

  • Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
  • Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
  • Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
  • 235 open-data records from 1931 to 2022.
  • Species data updated October 26, 2026.

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