Gobie à Bandes Rouge, Red-banded prawn-goby, Redbarred shrimp goby, レッドバンデッドプラウンゴビー, 条带钝塘鳢,

Synonymes
Amblyeleotris fasciatus (Herre, 1953)
Amblyeleotris katherine (Randall, 2004)
Zebreleotris fasciata (Herre, 1953)

---------------------------

Description
Dorsal spines (total): 7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10-14; Anal spines: 1; Anal soft rays: 10-12. First dorsal fin lower than body, 3rd dorsal spine sometimes filamentous in adult. Second dorsal fin as high as first one, the last ray branched. Anal fin subequal to second dorsal fin in height, rays becoming longer posteriorly, the last ray branched. Caudal fin oblong, its length subequal to head length. Pectoral fins without silky free rays, rounded posteriorly, nearly reaching to a vertical line through the origin of second dorsal fin. Pelvic fins rays: I, 5, with 4th rays longest, uniting membrane not fully developed, fins separated from each other at the posterior margin, UM-value: 0.2-0.65, pelvic frenum absent. Body elongate, compressed; Head obtuse, compressed slightly. Interorbital space very narrow, snout obtuse, as long as eye diameter; Anterior nostril conical, posterior nostril without rim. Mouth oblique, jaws subequal; Maxillary reaching to a vertical line through the posterior part of eye, no barbels. In upper jaw a single external series of about 15 slender caniniform teeth on each side, those in front larger, and an inner band of several irregularly arranged series of small teeth. In lower jaw a cluster ofvilliform teeth in front, and a single series of slender teeth on each side, inside of which 1-3 recurved caniniform teeth. No teeth on vomer and palatines. Vomer not notably protruding downward. Tongue rounded, glossohyal bone narrow fan-shaped. Gill opening wide, extending to below the middle of preopercle; isthmus narrow; No fleshy flap on the inner margin of shoulder girdle. No spine on preopercle. Canal pores fully developed, sensory papillae on head poorly defined. Scales on anterior half of body small and cycloid, becoming larger and ctenoid posterioly. Head naked, more than ten small scales on median part of nape. Thorax and belly scaly. Small embedded scales on base of pectoral fin. Max. length: 8.0 cm TL. Depth range: 4 - 20 m

Color
Body pale yellow with five broad transverse bands of dark reddish purple, slightly inclined forward and downward; Anteriormost band running from predorsal to opercle, second from first dorsal to pelvic fin, third and fourth from second dorsal to anal fin, fifth on caudal peduncle; These bands obviously broader than interspace. Narrower band of the same color on base of caudal fin. From occipital region to posterior part of upper jaw reddish brown. Nape and cheek scattered with many orange-red spots; A part of throat red. Dorsal spines and soft rays yellow, membrane of posterior half of first dorsal fin and whole second dorsal fin yellow with small orange-red spots. Basal half of anal fin dark brown, with blue spots bordered with cobalt blue; Along middle of anal fin two narrow stripes, lower orangered and upper blue; Distal half of anal fin yellow. Pectoral fin almost colorless. Membrane of pelvic fin dark brown, blue longitudinal lines at part and between basal 5th ray and spine, four blue spots bordered with dark blue on uniting membrane. Caudal fin transparent near distal edge; lower part of basal half dark brown, with blue lines and spots; An orange-red spot at upper quarter of caudal base.

Etymology
Amblyeleotris: from Greek, amblys or amblus = dull (blade: not sharp), blunt, obtuse + from the Greek name of a fish, eleōtris, found in the swampy waters of the Nile (Egypt) (from the Greek, eleios = who lives in the marshes). The name Eleotris appears for the first time in Déipnosophistes, a compilation of anecdotes and quotations from ancient authors, written by a scholar and grammarian Greek, Athenaeus of Naucratis (about 170-223 AD). In 1763, the Dutch naturalist and collector Laurentius Theodorus Gronovius (1730-1777) used this name to designate a new genus of fish. The authorship of the genre escapes him because his work was rejected by the scientific community of the time. The genre should have returned to the doctor, entomologist and naturalist of Italian culture, Giovanni Antonio Scopoli (1723-1788) but the late recognition of his work made him lose the authorship of the name. Today the genus, Eleotris, is attributed to Bloch & Schneider, 1801.

fasciata: from Latin, fasciatus = banded. In reference to the five broad transverse bands of dark reddish purple on the fish body.
Original description: Zebreleotris fasciata Herre, 1953 - Type locality: Bikini Island, Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands, western Pacific.

Distribution
Eastern Indian Ocean, western Pacific: Christmas Island (Australia), east to Samoa, north to Ryukyu Islands (Japan), south to Queensland (Australia) and New Caledonia.

Biology
Moderately common in patches of coarse carbonate or volcanic sand of outer lagoon and seaward reefs. Occurs in pairs and burrow with a yellow species of prawn.

Similar species
Amblyeleotris wheeleri (Polunin & Lubbock, 1977) - Reported from New Caledonia. Link to the species (here).