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Largetooth goby

Macrodontogobius wilburi

  • Fish
  • IUCN: Least concern
  • Usual depth1–17 m
  • Water temperature22–30 °C
  • Best monthsSeptember, November, and December
  • How commonRare
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About this species

The largetooth goby, also known as Wilbur's goby, is a species of ray-finned fish from the family Gobiidae which is native to the Indo-Pacific from the Seychelles to Micronesia. Its known range has been extended to the Red Sea as specimens were photographed at one site and collected at another site off Egypt. This species lives in sheltered marine waters at depths of from 0 to 20 metres preferring areas with sandy substrates. This species grows to a length of 6.5 centimetres (2.6 in) SL. This species is the only known member of its genus. This species is not obviously sexually dimorphic and it has a background colour of pale brown to greenish-brown and a pale ventral side. The body is marked with brown and white spots, pairs of larger brown spots create a mid-lateral row along its flanks and there is a dark spot on the caudal fin peduncle. It has a brown blotch on the cheek and a series of short brown bars along its back. The largetooth goby is a solitary fish which is found in coastal bays, lagoons and estuaries over fine sandy substrates close to the margins of reefs or silt beds in the vicinity of sheltered and often turbid coastal reefs. It is most frequently collected from shallow waters to 7 metres (23 ft), around coral reefs but off southern Japan, the largetooth goby occurs at the bottom of sandy bays.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Largetooth goby”, 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: 10 records
  • February: 10 records
  • March: 14 records
  • April: 4 records
  • May: 8 records
  • June: 2 records
  • July: 17 records
  • August: 13 records
  • September: 26 records
  • October: 12 records
  • November: 25 records
  • December: 18 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 1–17 m · Deepest record: 20 m

  • 0–10 m: 60 records
  • 10–20 m: 22 records
  • 20–30 m: 1 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 22–30 °C

  • 20–22 °C: 11 records
  • 22–24 °C: 2 records
  • 24–26 °C: 12 records
  • 26–28 °C: 62 records
  • 28–30 °C: 80 records

Names and classification

English
Largetooth goby, Big-toothed Goby, largetooth goby, Wilbur's Goby
Names in 2 more languages
Japanese
Madarahaze, マダラハゼ
Simplified Chinese
威氏壯牙鰕虎, 威氏壯牙鰕虎魚

Other scientific names: Acentrogobius hendersoni, Gnatholepis hendersoni, Gnatholepis hololepis

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).
  • 263 open-data records from 1934 to 2022.

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