
Green-backed Guavina
Bunaka gyrinoides
- Usual depth0–1 m
- Water temperature26–30 °C
- Best monthsOctober
- How commonRare
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
Loading the map
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
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 26–30 °C
Photos

(c) coenobita, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
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
Dusky sleeperEleotris fusca
- Black Gudgeon
Eleotris melanosoma
- Snakehead gudgeon
Giuris margaritaceus
- Doublespot Coralgudgeon
Calumia godeffroyi
- Deepreef Coralgudgeon
Calumia profunda
- Golden Carp-gudgeon
Hypseleotris cyprinoides
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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