The Long-finned Goby, also known as the Sleeper Striped Goby or Puntang, is a fish with the scientific name Valenciennea longipinnis.
It lives in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. You can mostly find it in lagoons and sandy areas.
This fish can grow up to 7.1 inches long. It has some value for local fishing businesses and is also sold for aquariums.
Adults usually live in pairs and build burrows under rocks. These fish are monogamous, meaning they have one partner at a time.
They eat small creatures like copepods, amphipods, ostracods, nematodes, and foraminiferans by filtering mouthfuls of sand.
Long-finned Goby is safe for coral reefs.
You can check out what this fish looks like over here.
Long-finned Goby Interesting Facts
- Long-finned-Gobies thrive in tropical climates and live around coral reefs at depths of 6 to 98 feet.
- These monogamous fish pair up, build burrows under rocks; and eat small creatures by filtering sand.
- Appearance-wise, they have a pale grey body with blue-edged bars and unique pink stripes on their pectoral fin base.
- Female gobies construct mounds of dead coral pieces over their eggs, influencing male mate choice based on mound height.
Long-finned Goby Habitat
The Long-finned-Goby is a fish found in the Indo-West Pacific region. These fish live in marine environments, mainly around coral reefs.
They are usually found at depths between 6 to 98 feet (2 and 30 meters), with most of them staying above 20 feet (6 meters).
Long-finned-Gobies prefer water temperatures between 72°F to 81°F (22°C to 27°C) and thrive in tropical climates.
| Water Temperature: | 72°F to 81°F (22°C to 27°C) |
| Water pH: | Unknown |
| Water Hardness: | Unknown |
Long-finned Goby Physical Characteristics
Size: 7.1 inches (18.0 centimeters)
The Long-finned Goby is an aquarium fish that can grow up to 18 cm in length. It has a pale grey body color, with five blue-edged bars and reddish-brown to black blotches at the bottom of each bar.
The head has spots, and its pectoral fin base has two pink stripes.
This fish has 6 to 7 dorsal spines, 12 to 13 soft dorsal rays, one anal spine, and 11 to 13 soft anal rays.
Its caudal fin is rhomboid-shaped and longer than its head. The scale count along the body ranges from 80 to 121.
The scales on Long-finned Goby are ctenoid (rough) but become smoother (cycloid) toward the front below the first or second dorsal spine.
There are no scales on the head or midline of the nape (back of neck). Scales do extend forward on the side of the nape above the middle of the operculum (gill cover).
In adults, there are usually scales on the pectoral fin base and partly or fully scaled prepelvic area. The body depth measures between 6 to 6.7 times smaller than its standard length (SL).
Long-finned Goby Reproduction
A female Long-finned-Goby builds a mound of dead coral pieces on her burrow after laying eggs. The male guards the eggs inside the burrow.
This mound helps with water circulation, which in turn assists the male in caring for the eggs.
The height of the mound shows how much effort the female puts into parenting. Bigger females create taller mounds, which influences males’ choice of mates.
These fish are monogamous and form both obligatory and social relationships.
Long-finned Goby Scientific Classification
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Gobiiformes |
| Family: | Gobiidae |
| Genus: | Valenciennea |
| Scientific Name: | Valenciennea longipinnis |
| Also Known As: | Long-finned Goby, Sleeper Striped Goby, Puntang |
| Conservation Status: | Unknown |