Lemon Coral Goby/Lemon Clown Goby/Poison Goby

ANIMAL:
Lemon Coral Goby/Lemon Clown Goby/Poison Goby Gobiodon citrinus

Type of Animal:
Goby

Habitat:
Coral reefs, sheltered coral lagoons

Location(s):
Indo-Pacific

Appearance:
Very small fish, most often bright lemon yellow w/ blue to almost whitish markings, dark dusky phase also occurs

Food/Diet:
Brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, zooplankton, amphipods, copepods, cyclops, marine worms

Status in Wild:
Stable

Conservation:
Breeding in aquaculture, aquariums, & zoos

Lifestyle:
Small colonies of 2-20 fish w/ each individual/mated pair guarding tiny territory.

Additional Info:

Called:
Male
Female
Young: Fry
Group: Colony

Gestation:
4-5 days

Life Span:
2-8 years

Body Length:
Male: 1.2-2.5 in
Female: 1.1-2.3 in

Main predators are larger fish.

These fish are very shy, spending much of their time hiding. They’re also quite inquisitive.

Females lay eggs on coral polyps/branches & guard corals from predators.

Largest clown goby species.

Once female lays eggs, male guards them.

Egg masses can have more than 1,000 eggs.

Fry hatch as planktonic larvae & are in this stage until settling at a month old.

Maturity reached at 2 months old.

Like many gobies, they have a very active metabolism.

They’re very peaceful fish.

While they often spawn in captivity, raising fry to adulthood is difficult.

While mostly stable, they’re endangered in the Persian Gulf due to over-collection, habitat degradation, & pollution.

These fish are fairly popular in aquarium trade.

Fun Fact(s):
Like many other gobies, they’re great jumpers.

These fish start life out as females w/ larger females becoming males. Like many other members of genus Gobiodon, they can change sex bi-directionally, meaning males can revert to being female. If 2 females pair up, the larger one becomes male. If 2 males pair up, the smaller one becomes female.

Gets Poison Goby name due to toxic skin mucus. This mucus helps deter predators.

Other names are Citron Goby, Citron Clown Goby, Citrinus Clown Goby, Blue Stripe Goby, Yellow Clown Goby, Yellow Coral Goby, Fourbar Goby, Citrin Goby, Citron Yellow Clown Goby, Four-Bar Maori Goby, Saffron Coral Goby, & Saffron Goby among others.

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