Yellow Shrimp-goby

Description:

Also called Yellow Prawn-goby and Yellow Watchman Goby, and also referred to as Smilogobius cinctus, this species occurs in two color varieties: yellow, and whitish ground color. Both forms have 4-5 dusky bars -- which appear faint in the yellow kind -- and fine blue-and-white spotting on head and anterodorsal part of the body and fins. It has no predorsal scales. Maximum size: 7.5cm length. Shrimp-gobies live mutually with alpheid shrimp -- in this spotting, the Fine-striped Snapping Shrimp (Alpheus ochrostriatus). The latter make and maintain their burrows, and the former stand guard to deter would-be predators and house-snatchers.

Habitat:

C. cinctus inhabits sandy areas of shallow lagoons and protected coastal bays, usually at depths of 10 to 25m. Distribution: Western Pacific.

Notes:

Spotted this goby-and-shrimp trio in about 6m of water, off the northern coast of Talikud Island, Philippines (dive site: Tiffany). I had to shoot from a meter away so that I wouldn't scare them off, hence the shake in the video, because I zoomed in quite a bit. The watchman goby was aware of me, though, because I don't think it ever took its eyes off of me the whole time I was there.