Eleotridae is a family of fish commonly known as sleeper gobies, with about 34 genera and 180 species. Most species are found in the tropical Indo-Pacific region, but there are also species in subtropical and temperate regions, warmer parts of the Americas and near the Atlantic coast in Africa. While many eleotrids pass through a planktonic stage in the sea and some spend their entire lives in the sea; as adults, the majority live in freshwater streams and brackish water. One of its genera, Caecieleotris, is troglobitic. They are especially important as predators in the freshwater stream ecosystems on oceanic islands such as New Zealand and Hawaii that otherwise lack the predatory fish families typical of nearby continents, such as catfish. Anatomically, they are similar to the gobies (Gobiidae), though unlike the majority of gobies, they do not have a pelvic sucker.
The western carp gudgeon is one of several carp gudgeon species. Carp gudgeons are very small perciform fish found in the Australian Murray-Darling River system, mainly in lowland environments, but some have been observed in upland environments. They are often found in small creeks, as well as billabongs and the edges of larger rivers. They prefer water 1 to 2 m deep with aquatic weed and structure provided by rocks or sunken timber.
Collared wrigglers are perciform fishes in the family Xenisthmidae. They are native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, where they are mostly reef-dwelling.
Hypseleotris cyprinoides, the tropical carp-gudgeon or tropical bitterling-gudgeon, is a species of fish in the family Eleotridae found in fresh, brackish, and marine coastal waters from Africa through southern Asia to the Pacific Islands. This amphidromous species can reach a length of 8 cm (3.1 in). It has been extirpated from the Indian Ocean island of Réunion,
Hypseleotris ejuncida, the slender gudgeon or slender carp gudgeon, is a species of fish in the family Eleotridae endemic to Australia, where it is only known to occur around Kimberley in Western Australia. Its favored habitat is rocky pools. This species can reach a length of 6 cm (2.4 in).
Kimberleyeleotris is a genus of fishes in the family Eleotridae endemic to Australia, where they are only known from rivers in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
Milyeringa is a genus of blind cavefish from the Cape Range and Barrow Island, northwestern Australia. Although traditionally considered to belong to the family Eleotridae, studies show that they represent a distinct and far-separated lineage together with the Typhleotris cavefish from Madagascar, leading some to move them to their own family, Milyeringidae. The generic name is taken from Milyering which is 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Vlamingh Head in the North West Cape of Western Australia, the type locality for Milyeringa veritas.
Mogurnda is a genus of freshwater fishes in the family Eleotridae native to eastern and northern Australia and New Guinea. Several species are endemic to Lake Kutubu in Papua New Guinea.
Oxyeleotris is a genus of sleeper gobies mostly restricted to Australia and New Guinea, though some are found in Southeast Asia.
The honey blue-eye is an endangered species of fish in the subfamily Pseudomugilinae. It is endemic to southeastern Queensland, Australia, where it is found in mildly acidic, often tannin-stained, ponds and streams in wallum habitat.
Xenisthmus is the most well-known genus in the family Xenisthmidae, which is regarded as a synonymous with the Eleotridae, a part of Gobiiformes. These small to very small fish are known as wrigglers, and live in reefs and among rubble in the Indo-Pacific.
Eleotris is a genus of fish in the family Eleotridae with a circumglobal distribution in tropical and subtropical regions.
Philypnodon is a genus of fishes in the family Eleotridae endemic to Australia and the coastal waters around it.
Ptereleotris is a genus of dartfishes found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans.
Hypseleotris compressa, the empire gudgeon, is a species of Gobiiform fish in the family Eleotridae endemic to Australia and south-central New Guinea.
Hypseleotris galii, the firetail gudgeon, is a species of gudgeon native to eastern Australia, where it is found in freshwater streams.
The dwarf flathead gudgeon is a species of sleeper goby endemic to eastern Australia.
The flathead gudgeon is a species of fish in the family Eleotridae endemic to eastern Australia.
Milyeringa justitia, commonly known as the Barrow cave gudgeon, is a species of fish in the family Milyeringidae endemic to groundwater systems (aquifers) of Barrow Island, around 50 km off the Pilbara coast in Western Australia. This troglobitic species has a pale body, lacking in pigment, and it is eyeless and blind, using sensory papillae located on the head and body to allow it to feed and move around in total darkness. The specific name justitia is Latin for "justice" and was given by the describers to complement the specific name of Milyeringa veritas which means "truth" in the hope that “As truth and justice are supposed to go together, we name this species justitia, from the Latin for justice, in the hope that justice helps the species to survive on Barrow Island, which has been an oilfield since 1967 and is most recently the site of the Gorgon Gas Hub development.” Very little is known about M. justitia as between 2002 and 2013 only six specimens were collected but its biology is assumed to be similar to that of M. veritas.
Thalasseleotris is a genus of gobies comprising two species in the family Thalasseleotrididae from the south-western Pacific Ocean in the seas off Australia and New Zealand. The generic name is derived from the Greek Thalassa meaning "sea" and the generic name Eleotris as at the time it was named the genus was considered to be in the family Eleotridae.
