Bathygobius

Bathygobius is a genus with 2 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Gobies & Gudgeons section, recorded from Australia, India, Indonesia and 34 more countries. Adult sizes run from 3.5 in to 4.5 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
2
Adult sizes
3.5–4.5 in
IUCN assessed
2 of 2
Recorded from
37 countries

About the genus

Bathygobius is a genus of gobies found along tropical and subtropical coastlines, typically in shallow marine and brackish habitats such as tide pools, reef flats, and estuaries rather than fresh water proper - the atlas records it from Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, and the Philippines, reflecting a broad Indo-Pacific distribution. Atlas species measure 3.5–4.5 in and share the classic goby build: a stocky, bottom-dwelling body with fused pelvic fins forming a sucker disc used to hold position against surge and current on rock or coral rubble.

This is mostly a genus of ecological and taxonomic rather than freshwater-aquarium interest, since most species live in marine or brackish tide-pool habitat rather than true fresh water - data are sparse on either atlas species being kept as a dedicated aquarium subject. The dusky frillgoby (B. fuscus) is the more widely documented of the two, known from tide-pool surveys across its Indo-Pacific range; B. cotticeps is less frequently recorded. Conservation status is only partly assessed, with one atlas species Least Concern and the other Not Evaluated.

IUCN Red List: Least Concern · 1 Not Evaluated · 1

The 2 species

Every Bathygobius recorded in this atlas. Each card links to a full researched profile — distribution, water parameters, and aquarium care, cited to primary sources.

(Steindachner, 1879)

Cheekscaled frill-goby, Flathead frillgoby

4.5 in TL · LC

(Rüppell, 1830)

Dusky frillgoby, Frill-fin goby

3.5 in SL · NE

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How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Bathygobius. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/bathygobius/

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