Halfbarred goby
Amblygobius semicinctus
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Halfbarred goby
- Scientific
- Amblygobius semicinctus
- Dhivehi
- ބައިގަޅި ފުންނަBaigalhi funna
- Group
- Reef fish
- Family
- Gobiidae (gobies)
- Maximum size
- Up to about 11 cm (total length) (FishBase); MRS 1997 gives common to 9 cm; max. 15 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 1 to 20 m; also enters brackish water
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2018
Description
A greenish-brown goby with rows of small pale blue-green spots, five narrow brown bars, red spots on the head and fins, and dark spots above the gill opening and at the top of the tail base. Pairs hover a little above their burrow under rubble in sheltered, silty lagoons, feeding on filamentous algae and tiny crustaceans. It is an Indian Ocean species.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name baigalhi funna (MRS 1997). MRS notes it is very common in the sheltered lagoons of Maldivian islands and ring reefs.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Amblygobius-semicinctus.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- fishbase.se /comnames/CommonNamesList.php?ID=25417&GenusName=Amblygobius&SpeciesNa
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ބައިގަޅި_ފުންނަ
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Amblygobius_semicinctus_Landaagiraavaru.JPG
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives (FAO/BOBP MAG/21) gives 'Baigalhi funna' (Latin form). FishBase (country: Maldives) gives only the general group name 'Funna'. Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ބައިގަޅި ފުންނަ' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition); it matches the Latin form. FLAG: the source states no traditional name was recorded and this descriptive name was coined for the book; it is not an established fishermen's name.