Edit Stiphodon percnopterygionus

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Name

Scientific name

Stiphodon percnopterygionus

Described by

Authority Watson & Chen, Year 1998

Family

Gobiidae

Common names

Not recorded

Photograph credits

All 30 credited

Summary

Stiphodon percnopterygionus is a small stream-dwelling goby ranging from southern Taiwan through the Ryukyu and Bonin islands to Guam and P…

Size and aquarium

Maximum size

35mm, standard length

Aquarium size

Minimum length 60 cm, Minimum depth 30 cm, Water movement High: fast-flowing river or riffle

Water

Water conditions

Temperature 22–28°C, pH 6.5–7.5

Hardness

2–12dGH

Conductivity

Not recorded

Behaviour

Temperament

Not recorded

Community suitability

Community-safe

Where it lives

Countries, regions, rivers and lakes

Guam, Japan, Palau, Taiwan

Writing

Etymology

Stiphodon: from the Ancient Greek στίφος (stifos), meaning 'swarm, horde', and ὀδών (odon), meaning 'toothed', in reference to the numerous, closely-packed tee…

Distribution

This species' known range extends in a rough eastward arc from southern Taiwan (Pintung and Taitung counties) through the Japanese island groups of Yaeyama, Ry…

Habitat

Members of this genus are near-exclusive inhabitants of short coastal streams on tropical, often volcanic, islands, with typical habitats lying above waterfall…

Aquarium size

An aquarium with base dimensions of 60 ∗ 30 cm is big enough for a pair or small group but use something bigger if you want to keep multiple species together s…

Maintenance

These gobies aren't too difficult to keep provided some basic requirements are met. Most importantly the water must be clean and well-oxygenated at all times s…

Water conditions

Temperature: 22 – 28 °C; increased surface agitation is needed to maintain dissolved oxygen levels towards the upper end of this range. In nature this species …

Diet

Stiphodon spp. are specialised algal grazers feeding on benthic algae plus associated micro-organisms and possess subterminal, extrusible mouthparts with denti…

Behaviour and compatibility

Stiphodon spp. can be kept in a community provided tankmates are chosen with care. Peaceful, similarly-sized species which naturally inhabit well-oxygenated st…

Sexual dimorphism

As with all members of the genus sexual dimorphism is pronounced; smaller males are predominantly blue in colour but most begin to take on a bright yellow to o…

Reproduction

Observations of courtship behaviour and the occasional spawning exist but to date no-one has managed to raise fry of any Stiphodon spp. in captivity. This is u…

Notes

This species is rare in the aquarium trade and normally expensive when available. It's among the most easily-identifiable in the genus via the unique combinati…

This species is rare in the aquarium trade and normally expensive when available.

It's among the most easily-identifiable in the genus via the unique combination of usually 14 pectoral-fin rays, 10 segmented second dorsal-fin rays, relatively small adult size, unique colouration in males and the shape of the first dorsal-fin in males in which the fourth and fifth spines are highly extended with the membrane connected along most of their length.

The Gobiidae is the most speciose vertebrate family and notoriously problematic in terms of identifying fishes down to species level.

Stiphodon is often included in the putative subfamily Sicydiinae which currently contains at least six other genera; Cotylopus, Lentipes, Parasicyidium, Sicydium, Sicyopus, and Sicyopterus.

Sicyopus and Lentipes species are omnivorous or carnivorous whereas the others are mostly herbivorous.

All share a similar life-history with many endemic to a particular island or group of islands, though a few are widespread.

They also share some morphological characters including pelvic fins modified into a sucking disc with a strong spine and thickened, highly-branched rays, at the posterior edge of which the pelvic-fin spines and first ray are joined by a membrane forming 'fleshy pads' at the tips of the spines.

The tongue is fused to the base of the mouth, a feature shared by some other gobiids.

Following the work of Koumans (1953) Stiphodon was considered a monotypic genus containing only S. elegans for almost half of the twentieth century, despite S. semoni being the original type species, but since the late 1980s a number of species have been described or revalidated.

Over 30 have been described to date with at least a similar number awaiting description (Watson, per. comm.), and while traditionally considered confined to the tropical Indo-Pacific region they're also found in the eastern Indian Ocean with Sri Lanka representing the known limit of their range.

They can be separated into two generalised groups based on male morphology; those with a first dorsal-fin approximately the same height as the second, e.g., S. atropurpureus, S. semoni, etc., and those in which the first dorsal-fin contains extended, sometimes filamentous spines or rays, e.g., S. percnopterygionus, S. atratus, S. elegans.

Some species also exhibit a patch of white, fatty tissue behind the pectoral-fin in males. The function of this is unknown but it appears to be related to male dominance in some way, with older adults possessing larger patches of tissue (Watson, 2008)[8].

The fused pelvic fins form a structure normally referred to as the pelvic disc, a common feature among gobiids which is used to adhere to rocks and other submerged surfaces.

In Sicyopus and Stiphodon this is short-based and attached to the belly only between the fifth pair of fin rays whereas in other sicydiines it's attached between all five rays (Watson, 2005).

The role of the disc in ascending waterfalls and cascades has given rise to the common names of 'rock-climbing' or 'cling' gobies for members of the Sicydiinae in general.

They're also sometimes referred to as 'toothed-lip' gobies in reference to the outwardly-orientated, replaceable teeth of the upper jaw.

Many of those being imported for the aquarium trade have proven difficult to identify for a number of reasons including:

- taxonomic confusion.
- lack of aquarium literature.
- incorrect labelling by exporters and subsequently shops.
- historical over-use of some names.
- likely trade of undescribed species without locality data.
- mixing of species at export facilities.

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References

10 on this profile

Name

Scientific name

Described by

Family

Common names

Photograph credits

Summary

Size and aquarium

Maximum size

Aquarium size

Water

Water conditions

Hardness

Conductivity

Behaviour

Temperament

Social needs

Community suitability

Where it lives

Countries, regions, rivers and lakes

Writing

Etymology

Distribution

Habitat

Aquarium size

Maintenance

Water conditions

Diet

Behaviour and compatibility

Sexual dimorphism

Reproduction

Notes

References

References