Trimma meristum Winterbottom & Hoese, 2015
Split-ray pygmygoby
Trimma meristum
photo by Winterbottom, R.

Family:  Gobiidae (Gobies), subfamily: Gobiinae
Max. size:  2 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  reef-associated; marine; depth range 0 - 7 m
Distribution:  Western Pacific: Australia (Great Barrier Reef), Papua New Guinea (Bismark Archipelago) and Fiji.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 7-7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8-8; Anal spines: 1-1; Anal soft rays: 7-7. This species is distinguished by the following characters: concave bony interorbital is less than half pupil-diameter in width; with a slight or no groove posterodorsal to the eye; scales in the midline of the predorsal 8-10; anal-fin rays 7; the fifth pelvic ray is branched twice dichotomously and subequal to the fourth in length, with a full basal membrane; the epaxial musculature reaches anteromedially to a point in line with the posterior margin of the pupil in adults; scale pockets on the head and body are strongly outlined by brown chromatophores (Ref. 100726).
Biology:  Species collected from jetty pilings, log debris, and concrete stairs at the water’s edge, at about 1-4 meters. It apparently have an affinity for sponge-encrusted surfaces, but the general area where it is observed is characterized by extensive silty mud substrata inhabited by a large number of burrowing gobies. It was not previously observed despite nearly 100 hours of scuba-diving because the collection site is immediately adjacent to shore at a busy shipyard where diving is usually banned during daylight hours. Most of the specimens were found on the inner side of a single pillar of the jetty, which was situated in total shade (Ref. 119492).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 07 September 2021 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless
Country info:  Type locality: Viti Levu, Suva Harbour, Bird I., AMS I.18353-037 (holotype of Trimma meristum, 1.83 cm SL) (Ref. 100726),


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