Amblygobius phalaena (Banded goby)
Pale gray, greenish brown stripes on the head and front of the body, 5 white edged gray, vertical body bars, black spot on the 1st dorsal fin. Also called whitebarred goby.
Unevaluated by the IUCN Red list, but uncommon.
East Indo-Pacific. Cocos-Keeling Islands to Marquesas and Tuamotu Islands in French Polynesia and Australia to SouthWest Japan. Sand and rubble bottoms of reef flats, seagrass beds and sheltered shores down to 20 meters. Replaced by Amblygobius albimaculatus in the Red Sea and Amblygobius semicinctus in the western Indian Ocean.
Monogamous. Spawning is synchronous with semilunar periods. Eggs are deposited in burrows which are tended by the males.
Up to 15cm.
Feeds by sifting sand and expelling it through the gills. This way it captures small invertebrates and algae.
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