Hector’s Goby is found in the Indian Ocean, including the Red Sea, and as far as Micronesia in the western Pacific Ocean.
It lives in protected coral reefs at depths of 3 to 30 meters (usually 5 to 20 meters). This fish is found in the aquarium trade and is safe for reef aquariums.
The name “Hector’s Goby” honors Gordon Hector, who was once Chief Secretary of Seychelles’ government and helped with Smith’s research there.
Hector’s Gobies prefer sheltered bays and inner reefs with fine rubble shaded by large living corals.
They are usually seen alone, floating just above the sandy bottoms of reef bases. Their diet consists of filamentous algae, copepods, ostracods, amphipods, and nematodes.
You can check out what this fish looks like over here.
Hector’s Goby Interesting Facts
- Hector’s Goby thrives in protected coral reefs at depths of 3 to 30 meters, generally found floating above sandy bottoms.
- These fish are popular in the aquarium trade and are considered safe for reef aquariums.
- Their diet consists of filamentous algae, copepods, ostracods, amphipods, and nematodes.
- Named after Gordon Hector, it has distinguishing features like wide space between the eyes and elongated dorsal-fin spines.
Hector’s Goby Habitat
Hector’s Goby is found in the Indo-West Pacific region, ranging from Seychelles to Fiji, and from Japan to New Caledonia.
It lives in marine environments near reefs and typically stays at depths of 3 to 30 meters (usually 5 to 20 meters).
Hector’s Goby prefers water temperatures of 72°F to 86°F (22°C to 30°C).
Its habitat lies within the tropical zone, specifically between latitudes of 30°N to 22°S and longitudes of 32°E to 175°E.
| Water Temperature: | 72°F to 86°F (22°C to 30°C) |
| Water pH: | Unknown |
| Water Hardness: | Unknown |
Hector’s Goby Physical Characteristics
Size: 3.3 inches (8.5 centimeters)
Hector’s Goby grows up to 3.3 inches (8.5 centimeters) long. It has 7 dorsal spines, 15 to 17 dorsal soft rays, 1 anal spine, and 15 to 16 anal soft rays.
Key features of Hector’s Gobies are:
- Wide space between the eyes (67% to 90% of eye diameter),
- The back edge of the upper jaw lines up with the front edge of the eye,
- The first two dorsal-fin spines are elongated and thin,
- Scales on the body are small and ctenoid (tooth-like), but smooth in some areas,
- Predorsal scales don’t reach past the posterior edge of the eye,
- Cheek and opercle (gill cover) have no scales,
- The base of the caudal fin is covered in small, smooth scales,
- The base of the pectoral fin has about 4 to 9 vertical rows of fine cycloid scales, and
- The prepelvic area has cycloid scales, with 9 to 14 in the midventral row.
Other key characteristics that differentiate Hector’s Goby from other similar species are:
- Width at anal-fin origin: 9.9% to 10.7% of body length,
- Caudal peduncle depth: 75.4% to 88.9% of its length,
- Head depth: 47.3% to 54.4% of head length,
- Length of 11th-second dorsal-fin ray: 11.8% to 14.2% of SL, and
- Length of 8th anal-fin ray: 13.7% to 14.9% of SL.
Hector’s Goby Scientific Classification
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Gobiiformes |
| Family: | Gobiidae |
| Genus: | Koumansetta |
| Scientific Name: | Amblygobius hectori |
| Also Known As: | Hector’s Goby |
| Conservation Status: | Least Concern |