Trimmatom pharus Winterbottom, 2001
Lifehouse dwarfgoby
photo by Senou, H.

Family:  Gobiidae (Gobies), subfamily: Gobiinae
Max. size:  2.2 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  reef-associated; marine; depth range 0 - 28 m
Distribution:  Indo-West Pacific: Seychelles, Cargados Carajos, Chagos Archipelago to Sumatra and the Philippines, north to Japan, south to Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and the Timor Sea.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 6-6; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-9; Anal soft rays: 9-9. Trimmatom pharus differs from T. nanus, T. offucius, and T. sagma in possessing scales on the body (vs naked) and branched pelvic fin rays (vs unbranched). Trimmatom zapotes, T. macropodus, and T. pharus all have body scales but T. zapotes has unbranched pelvic fin rays, and T. macropodus has the first four pelvic fin rays branched. Trimmatom pharus shares many meristic characteristics with T. eviotops including the presence of body scales and the branching of the first four pelvic fin rays; the two species do, however, differ in details of colour pattern. In preserved specimens the first body bar on T. eviotops crosses the pectoral base and the extends over the dorsum, passing backwards to the dorsal fin. In Trimmatom pharus the body bar which crosses the pectoral base crosses the dorsal surface anterior to the dorsal fin. Trimmatom eviotops has a broad dark saddle on the dorsall half of the caudal peduncle, while Trimmatom pharus has a narrow body bar or small dark saddle (Ref. 52310).
Biology:  Inhabits shoals, reefs and lagoons in 0-28 m (Ref. 90102).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 20 June 2017 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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