Twostripe goby
Valenciennea helsdingenii
- Usual depth12–57 m
- Water temperature20–30 °C
- Best monthsJanuary, April, and November
- How commonRare
Photo credit: no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
About this species
Valenciennea helsdingenii is a species of goby from the Indo-Pacific. It is commonly known as the twostripe goby, black-lined sleeper goby, or railway sleeper goby. It can grow up to a length of 25 cm (9.8 in) and is distinguishable by two prominent orange to black lines running longitudinally through its body.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Valenciennea helsdingenii”, 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: 36 records
- February: 18 records
- March: 25 records
- April: 36 records
- May: 26 records
- June: 14 records
- July: 15 records
- August: 22 records
- September: 19 records
- October: 28 records
- November: 33 records
- December: 26 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 12–57 m · Deepest record: 57 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 20–30 °C
Photos
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist 
(c) Ben Costamagna, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Georgina Jones, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
(c) desertnaturalist, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Ben Costamagna, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Georgina Jones, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
(c) Ewout Knoester, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Twostripe goby, Blacklined Glidergoby, Black-lined Sleeper-goby, Helsdingeni's Goby, Railway Glider, twostripe goby
Names in 3 more languages
- French
- Gobie de Helsdingeni
- Japanese
- Kuroitohaze, クロイトハゼ
- Simplified Chinese
- 雙帶凡塘鱧, 雙帶范式塘鱧
Other scientific names: Calleleotris helsdingenii, Eleotriodes helsdingeni, Eleotriodes helsdingenii, Valenciennea heldsdingenii, Valenciennea helsdingeni, Valenciennesia helsdingenii
Similar species
Long-finned GobyValenciennea longipinnis
Lined GudgeonValenciennea muralis
Maiden gobyValenciennea puellaris
Sixspot gobyValenciennea sexguttata
Blueband gobyValenciennea strigata
Greenband Glider GobyValenciennea randalli
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).
- 138 open-data records from 1858 to 2010.
- Species data updated October 31, 2026.
Log what you see on your next dive
The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.