Lentipes

Lentipes is a genus with 2 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Gobies & Gudgeons section, recorded from Indonesia and United States. Adult sizes run from 2.5 in to 3 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
2
Adult sizes
2.5–3 in
IUCN assessed
2 of 2
Recorded from
2 countries

About the genus

Lentipes is a genus of amphidromous stream gobies found across parts of the Indo-Pacific, with the atlas recording species from Indonesia and the United States (Hawaii). The best-known member, the Hawaiian stream goby Lentipes concolor — locally called o'opu alamo'o — lives in fast mountain streams and is famous for climbing waterfalls tens of meters high using a sucking disc formed from its fused pelvic fins. Like other sicydiine gobies, its life cycle is amphidromous: larvae are swept downstream to the ocean after hatching, then the juveniles migrate back upstream to grow and breed in freshwater, sometimes scaling sheer rock faces to do it.

Atlas species run about 2.5–3 in and both are listed Data Deficient, a common status for amphidromous island gobies whose populations are hard to survey across their full marine-to-freshwater life cycle. Lentipes concolor has drawn conservation attention in Hawaii because dams, stream diversions, and non-native predatory fish can block the migratory corridor its life cycle depends on — cutting the route between ocean larvae and upstream adults threatens the population even where adult habitat looks intact. The genus has essentially no presence in the aquarium hobby; its climbing behavior and specialized life history make it a poor fit for captivity.

IUCN Red List: Data Deficient · 2

The 2 species

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

(Gill, 1860)

Hawaiian stream goby, Hiukole goby, 'O'opu 'alamo'o

3 in SL · DD

Watson, 1994

2.5 in SL · DD

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How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Lentipes. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/lentipes/

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