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Maiden goby

Valenciennea puellaris

  • Fish
  • IUCN: Least concern
  • Usual depth4–26 m
  • Water temperature22–30 °C
  • Best monthsApril, August, and October
  • How commonOccasional
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About this species

Valenciennea puellaris, the Orange-spotted sleeper-goby, Orange-dashed goby, Maiden goby, or the Diamond Watchman goby, is a species of goby native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. It inhabits lagoons and outer reefs where it occurs over sandy substrates with larger pieces of rubble for it to burrow under. V. puellaris can reach a length of 20 centimetres (7.9 in) SL. It is also a prevalent fish in the aquarium hobby. Its diet is composed of zooplankton and dead fish or invertebrates.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Valenciennea puellaris”, 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: 5 records
  • February: 14 records
  • March: 6 records
  • April: 17 records
  • May: 14 records
  • June: 7 records
  • July: 12 records
  • August: 20 records
  • September: 8 records
  • October: 18 records
  • November: 17 records
  • December: 5 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 4–26 m · Deepest record: 100 m

  • 0–10 m: 41 records
  • 10–20 m: 38 records
  • 20–30 m: 11 records
  • 30–40 m: 5 records
  • 40–50 m: 1 records
  • 50–60 m: 0 records
  • 60–70 m: 0 records
  • 70–80 m: 0 records
  • 80–90 m: 0 records
  • 90–100 m: 0 records
  • 100–110 m: 1 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 22–30 °C

  • 20–22 °C: 1 records
  • 22–24 °C: 3 records
  • 24–26 °C: 19 records
  • 26–28 °C: 55 records
  • 28–30 °C: 87 records

Names and classification

English
Maiden goby, maiden goby, Orange-dashed Goby, Orange Dashed Goby, Orangespotted Glider Goby, Orange-spotted Sleeper-goby, Orange-spotted Sleeper Goby
Names in 4 more languages
Filipino
Biya, Bunak
French
Eleotris Taché D'orange, Gobie, Gobie tacheté d'orange
Japanese
Otomehaze, オトメハゼ
Simplified Chinese
大鱗凡塘鱧, 點帶范氏塘鱧

Other scientific names: Eleotriodes puellaris, Eleotrioides puellaris, Valencienea puellaris, Valencienna puellaris

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).
  • 418 open-data records from 1909 to 2021.

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