Celebes Flathead Goby

Distinguished by the following characters: mouth moderate; reaching to a point below anterior margin to middle of eye; operculum with a small patch of 10-20 scales dorsally in 2-3 longitudinal rows; second dorsal rays I,8; pectoral rays 18-21 (usually 19 or 20); predorsal scale count 15-19; one or usually two small lateral canal head pores above anterior operculum just before terminal lateral canal pore; papilla line 6 well developed; papilla lines composed of a single row of papillae; snout length 11.6-13.6% SL ; body with 5 oval, horizontally elongate brown to black spots on midside from second dorsal origin to posterior end of caudal peduncle; spots usually bordered by faint brown lines above and below.

Amphidromous. Refers to fishes that regularly migrate between freshwater and the sea (in both directions), but not for the purpose of breeding, as in anadromous and catadromous species. Sub-division of diadromous. Migrations should be cyclical and predictable and cover more than 100 km.Characteristic elements in amphidromy are: reproduction in fresh water, passage to sea by newly hatched larvae, a period of feeding and growing at sea usually a few months long, return to fresh water of well-grown juveniles, a further period of feeding and growing in fresh water, followed by reproduction there (Ref. 82692).

Dorsal spines (total): 7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Analspines: 1; Analsoft rays: 8

Adults live in clear streams, usually close to the sea (Ref. 5259). They occur mainly in fresh water, but larvae in marine environment (Ref. 5259).

fisheries: minor commercial; price category: very high; price reliability: very questionable: based on ex-vessel price for species in this family

Glossogobius celebius (Valenciennes, 1837)

USNM 217252, Fly 75–1, 43: 12.9–64.5 mm.

USNM 217253, Fly 75–2, 18: 14.0–70.2 mm.

USNM 217254, Fly 75–4, 79: 14.3–89.8 mm.

USNM 217255, Fly 75–5, 15: 21.5–63.7 mm.

USNM 217256, Fly 75–6, 2: 26.8–39.2 mm.

USNM 217257, Fly 75–8, 3: 14.8–63.6 mm.

USNM 217258, Fly 75–9, 127: 13.9–67.6 mm.

USNM 217259, Fly 75–13, 1: 83.2 mm.

USNM 217260, Fly 75–14, 52: 12.3–94.8 mm.

According to Weber (1913b:468) Glossogobius celebius is definitely known only from the eastern half of the Indo-Australian Archipelago, including Celebes (the type-locality), Ambon, Timor, Flores, New Guinea, and Aru Islands. Glossogobius celebius is present in both lowland and highland habitats in the Upper Fly but was not encountered in the Middle or Lower Fly. It feeds on insects and attains only 95 mm. Lower jaw extending posteriorly to a point in front of anterior margin of eye. Dorsum of head with fine ridges and grooves comparable to cristae and sulci on the human hand, present in specimens from highlands as well as lowlands (especially well developed in 89.8-mm specimen from Fly 75–4 and in 63.6-mm specimen from Fly 75–8; absent or poorly developed in some specimens). Predorsal scales 12–20. Second dorsal fin usually with 12 segmented rays: 12 (33), 11 (7), 10 (1), 13 (1). Body with 7 mediolateral pigmented blotches; a large, intensely black spot or spots centered on last one or two rays of first dorsal fin; second dorsal fin with a subdistal depigmented horizontal band; pectoral fin without vertical bands; small round spots on caudal fin restricted to anterior half of fin, not forming vertical rows.

In contrast to G. giuris, highland and lowland populations of G. celebius do not exhibit marked ecotypic differentiation.