Black-spotted Pygmy-goby

Eviota melasma

Fish
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth4–30 m
Water temperature15–30 °C
Best monthsMay, September, and November
How commonOccasional

Photo credit: (c) Debra Baker, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

Eviota melasma, commonly called headspot eviota or melasma pygmy goby among various other vernacular names, is a species of marine fish in the family Gobiidae.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Eviota melasma”, 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: 28 records
February: 18 records
March: 22 records
April: 33 records
May: 43 records
June: 14 records
July: 8 records
August: 27 records
September: 37 records
October: 32 records
November: 54 records
December: 4 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 4–30 m · Deepest record: 46 m

0–10 m: 56 records
10–20 m: 71 records
20–30 m: 39 records
30–40 m: 16 records
40–50 m: 3 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 15–30 °C

14–16 °C: 1 records
16–18 °C: 0 records
18–20 °C: 0 records
20–22 °C: 0 records
22–24 °C: 2 records
24–26 °C: 28 records
26–28 °C: 101 records
28–30 °C: 140 records

Photos

Names and classification

English: Black-spotted Pygmy-goby, Headspot Dwarfgoby, Headspot Eviota, Headspot Pygmygoby, Melasma Pygmy Goby

Names in 2 more languages

Japanese: Akahoshiisohaze, アカホシイソハゼ
Simplified Chinese: 黑體磯塘鱧

Similar species

Blackbelly Dwarfgoby
Eviota atriventris
Herre's Dwarfgoby
Eviota herrei
Neon Pygmy-goby
Eviota pellucida
Black-chest Shrimp-goby
Amblyeleotris guttata
Steinitz' goby
Amblyeleotris steinitzi
Barred Shrimpgoby
Amblyeleotris wheeleri

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).
564 open-data records from 1957 to 2023.
Species data updated October 26, 2026.

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