GOBIES
GOBIIDAE
Masked Goby
Coryphopterus  personatus
    Ecological Descriptors
Habitat Size (cm) Diet Behaviour Sex 
Co 2-4 Pla Sh PGH
 
 
Notes:
Very similar to the less common and generally deeper living Glass Goby, C. hyalinatus, not yet confirmed in Antigua.
(The latest provisional expert opinion is that the Glass  has a thin black stripe midlaterally on rear body and "peppery" speckles on the rear body, with the scales outlined with fine black lines (subject to revision as comparisons between specimens for DNA analysis and visual differentiators continues).


Description
:
Bright orange to translucent with
small white rectangles along flank. Dark mask between eyes and snout. Head profile slightly rounded; a low fleshy crest along midline of head.  Males have a longer second dorsal spine.

Ecology
In aggregations hovering over the substrate from 3-25m (10-80ft). Feeds on plankton.

Life Cycle:
Sequential protogynous hermaphrodites (females can turn into males), with sex reversal is completed in nine days. Females outnumber males at approximately four to one. Male and female size distributions show considerable overlap, but may differ, and there occur small males which are smaller than mature females.
Spawn ~300-500 eggs with larvae hatching after ~6 days at ~2mm length.
Masked Goby
300