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.
Cardinalfishes are a family, Apogonidae, of ray-finned fishes found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans; they are chiefly marine, but some species are found in brackish water and a few are found in fresh water. A handful of species are kept in the aquarium and are popular as small, peaceful, and colourful fish. The family includes about 370 species.
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 is a genus of fishes in the family Eleotridae. Most are from fresh water in Australia and New Guinea, but species in fresh and brackish water are found around islands in the western Indian Ocean, southern and eastern Africa, southern and eastern Asia, and Pacific islands. The largest species reaches a length of 12 cm (4.7 in). They are sometimes seen in the aquarium trade; especially H. compressa. In Australia they are known as carp gudgeons.
Xenisthmus polyzonatus is a species of fish in the Xenisthmidae (wriggler) family, which is regarded as a synonymous with the Eleotridae... It is found in the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea to Samoa, north to the Ryukyu Islands.
Xenisthmus balius is a species of fish in the Xenisthmidae (wriggler) family, which is regarded as a synonymous with the Eleotridae,. It is found in the Persian Gulf.
Rotuma lewisi, or Lewis's wriggler, is a species of fish in the family Xenisthmidae, which is regarded as a synonymous with the Eleotridae. Rotuma is a monotypic genus. The generic name refers to the volcanic island of Rotuma, north of Fiji while the specific name honours Anthony D. Lewis, a Fisheries Officer of the Government of Fiji who supported Springer's field work in Fiji. It has been recorded from Fiji, Tonga, the Santa Cruz Islands, the Comoros Islands, and the Chesterfield Islands.
Xenisthmus africanus, also known as the flathead wriggler or African wriggler, is a species of fish in the Xenisthmidae (wriggler) family, which is regarded as a synonymous with the Eleotridae,. It is found in the Indian Ocean, ranging from the coast of east Africa and to the islands in the western Indian Ocean. It has a flatter head than most other wrigglers.
Xenisthmus clarus, better known as the clear wriggler, is a species of fish in the Xenisthmidae (wriggler) family, which is regarded as a synonymous with the Eleotridae.
Xenisthmus chi is a species of fish in the wriggler family, Xenisthmidae, which is regarded as a synonymous with the Eleotridae,. Japan wrigglers are tiny and clear. Before Paedocypris progenetica and the dwarf goby were discovered, the Japan wriggler was the smallest known fish.
Paraxenisthmus springeri is a species of fish in the genus Paraxenisthmus of the Xenisthmidae (wriggler) family, which is regarded as a synonymous with the Eleotridae, from the West Pacific. Its specific name honours the American ichthyologist Victor G. Springer of the U.S. National Museum for his contributions to fish systematics.
Paraxenisthmus is a genus of goby from the western Pacific. They were classified as being in the family Xenisthmidae but this family is regarded as a synonym of the Eleotridae.
Xenisthmus eirospilus, the spotted wriggler, is a species of fish in the wriggler family, Xenisthmidae, which is regarded as a synonymous with the Eleotridae,. It is distributed in the western Pacific from Middleton Reef and Ashmore Reef off Australia, West Papua, Indonesia, to Rotuma and Tonga. Its habitat is sand patches among reefs and rubble, as well as in shallow surge areas.
Xenisthmus semicinctus, the halfbelt wriggler, is a species of fish in the wriggler family, Xenisthmidae, which is regarded as a synonymous with the Eleotridae,.
Gnatholepis is a genus of fish in the family Gobiidae, the gobies. It is the only marine genus in the subfamily Gobionellinae, which otherwise includes mostly estuary-dwelling and freshwater fish. Gnatholepis are tropical fish associated with sandy habitat around corals.
Trimma is a genus of fish in the family Gobiidae native to the Indian and Pacific Ocean. Together with members of the genus Eviota, they are known commonly as pygmygobies or dwarfgobies.
John Ernest "Jack" Randall was an American ichthyologist and a leading authority on coral reef fishes. Randall described over 800 species and authored 11 books and over 900 scientific papers and popular articles. He spent most of his career working in Hawaii. He died in April 2020 at the age of 95.
Gymnoxenisthmus tigrellus, is a species of family Xenisthmidae, regarded as a synonym of the Eleotridae. This species is endemic to Red Sea occurring near an unnamed island in Farasan Archipelago, Red Sea, Saudi Arabia where it is found on a narrow reef flat at 8 metres (26 ft) depth. the area consisting of a sandy slope with patches of corals and near a rock face of 3 metres (9.8 ft) in height which had small caves and rock shelters. This species is the only known member of its genus.
Paraxenisthmus cerberusi is a species of fish in the genus Paraxenisthmus of the Xenisthmidae (wriggler) family, which is regarded as a synonymous with the Eleotridae, from Palau and Fiji in the West Pacific. Its specific name refers to Cerberus, the three-headed dog which guards the entrance to Hades in Greek mythology, given to this species because of its relatively large number of teeth and in reference to the black juveniles and the red and black adults, the colours of which are associated with Hell in Christianity. This small fish was found in a drop-off which had caves and ledges with shelves and slopes covered in silt and sand. The area had growths of hydroids, sea fans, a range of hard corals and some Halimeda.
Chlidichthys is a genus of ray-finned fishes from the western and central Indian Ocean, it is part of the subfamily Pseudoplesiopinae which in turn is a constituent subfamily of the dottyback family, the Pseudochromidae. Within the Pseudoplesiopinae, Chlidichthys is regarded as a sister taxon to Pectinochromis.
