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.
Fusigobius is a genus of coral reef inhabiting gobies found throughout the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
Pascua is a genus of gobies native to the Pacific Ocean. The origin of the name "Pascua" is from the Spanish for "Easter" in recognition of the Easter Island range of the type specimen.
Glossogobius is a genus of gobies native to fresh, brackish and marine waters from Africa to the coasts of the western Pacific Ocean. They are found in Madagascar, South Africa, Japan, Thailand, Australia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Taiwan, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Malawi, Swaziland, Botswana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mozambique, the Solomon Islands, Palau, Fiji, New Caledonia, India, Laos, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Borneo, Nepal, Brunei Darussalam, Micronesia, Cambodia, Viet Nam, China, Réunion, the Seychelles, Mauritius, the Caroline Islands, Vanuatu, Malaysia and Russia. The genus also includes a troglobitic species, G. ankaranensis.
The yellow prawn-goby is a species of goby native to the Western Pacific, where it can be found at depths of from 1 to 25 metres in coastal bays and lagoons. This species is symbiotic with alpheid shrimps. The species can reach a length of 10 centimetres (3.9 in) SL. These fish vary greatly in appearance, ranging from brilliant yellow to gray and even brown forms or combinations of each coloring. This species is often kept in salt water aquariums. The Yellow Prawn-Goby can be kept in aquariums as small as 20 gallons. In the marine hobby they are often partnered with Tiger pistol shrimp.
Cryptocentrus also known as Watchman gobies, and one of the genera known as shrimp gobies or prawn gobies, is a genus of gobies native to tropical marine waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans.
Barbulifer is a genus of gobies native to the tropical Atlantic coast of the Americas as well as the Gulf of California on the Pacific coast.
Discordipinna is a genus of gobies native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.
Egglestonichthys is a genus of gobies native to brackish and marine waters of the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.
Gobulus is a genus of gobies native to the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the Americas.
Hetereleotris is a genus of gobies native to the western Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.
Nesogobius is a genus of goby native to the coastal waters of Australia.
Paratrimma is a genus of gobies endemic to Chile where they are only found around the Juan Fernández Islands and the Desventuradas Islands in the southeastern Pacific Ocean.
Stonogobiops is a genus of gobies native to the Indian and Pacific oceans. This is one of the "shrimp goby" genera, the members of these genera being commensal with various species of shrimps.
Sueviota is a genus of fish in the family Gobiidae native to the Indian and Pacific Ocean.
Tryssogobius is a genus of small gobies native to the western Pacific Ocean. The species in this genus are known colloquially as "fairygobies".
Parioglossus is a genus of dartfishes native to the Indian and Pacific oceans.
Ptereleotris is a genus of dartfishes found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans.
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.
Helen K. Larson is an ichthyologist who specialises in the fishes of the Indo-Pacific.
