Ghost Goby, Pleurosicya micheli

15 June 2023

If you look carefully at this semi-translucent little fish you can see its organs. The ghost goby lives mainly on massive stony corals to around 30 m, in the Indo-Pacific including in the Red Sea.

Ghost goby in the Canyon, Dahab
Tiny ghost goby in Dahab, Red Sea. JS

Our ghost goby, Pleurosicya micheli has red fluorescent eyes. This is probably to help them forage for their preferred food of miniscule crustaceans, as red fluorescence enhances visual contrast at depths below 10 m.

Ghost goby on coral

Ghost goby in the Red Sea on Porites coral. Tony Gibson/DepositPhotos

Also known as the stony coral ghostgoby, the fish lays its eggs on sea squirts. The female lays relatively few eggs but they are then guarded by the male against predators.

Ghost goby eggs on ascidian

Ghost goby guarding eggs. DepositPhotos

The family Gobiidae comprises at least 2000 species. More than half of these are found on coral reefs. Many coral reef gobies are capable of bi-directional sex change, sometimes more than once. Another adaptation which increases the potential number of offspring.

Ghost goby on coral

Ghost goby. DepositPhotos

Vertebrata > Osteichthyes > Teleostei > Gobiiformes > Gobiinae > Pleurosicya > Pleurosicya micheli

References

Microhabitats and ecomorphology of coral- and coral rock-associated gobiid fish (Teleostei: Gobiidae) in the northern Red Sea, Jurgen Herler. Marine Ecology 207


Meadows et al. Red fluorescence increases with depth in reef fishes, supporting a visual function, not UV protection, Proceedings of the Royal Society, 2014

Gobies on Coral Reefs. Chapter in The Biology of Gobies, R. A. Patzner et al (editors). Science Publishers, Jersey, British Isles, New Hampshire 2011