Trimma mendelssohni (Goren, 1978)
Mendelssohn's pygmygoby
photo by Barrall, G.

Family:  Gobiidae (Gobies), subfamily: Gobiinae
Max. size:  4 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  reef-associated; marine; depth range 2 - 20 m
Distribution:  Western Indian Ocean: Gulf of Aqaba to the islands of the western Indian Ocean as far south as Tulear, Madagascar; east to the Cargados Carajos shoals north of Mauritius
Diagnosis:  This species is distinguished by having the following characters: with a frontal ridge that slopes variably (steeply, and with a ridge, to gradually, without a ridge) into the interorbital trench; postorbital trenches may be steep or shallow sided; posterior nasal opening adnate to eye; second spine of first dorsal fin occasionally elongate, third spine is not; eight or more elements in the second dorsal; fifth pelvic fin ray branched multiple times dichotomously, appearing bushy; 18 or more pectoral rays; scales on head; body color brown-red with five diffuse white vertical bars, between mid-peduncle to just anterior to origin of first dorsal; facial pattern with two white bars under orbit, and one irregular white bar over vertical limb of the preopercle; a pair of thin fleshy lappets, half a pupil width apart, a quarter pupil width behind the frontal ridge, on either side of dorsal midline of the nape; epibranch of the first gill arch lacks gill rakers (Ref.57688).
Biology:  Collected over coral reef flats rising above the rubble-sandy bottom (Ref. 57688).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 20 June 2017 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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