Poison goby
Gobiodon citrinus
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Poison goby
- Scientific
- Gobiodon citrinus
- Dhivehi
- މުރަކަ ފުންނަMuraka funna
- Group
- Reef fish
- Family
- Gobiidae (gobies)
- Maximum size
- Up to about 6.6 cm (total length) (FishBase); MRS 1997 gives max. 6 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 0 to 20 m (usually 2 to 20 m)
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2018
Description
A small, deep-bodied goby, bright yellow with blue lines across the head and along the dorsal fin base. It lives among the branches of table-shaped Acropora corals, singly or in pairs, and produces a toxic, bitter skin mucus that deters predators.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name muraka funna (MRS 1997). MRS notes it was one of the most commonly exported aquarium fish from the Maldives.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Gobiodon-citrinus.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/މުރަކަ_ފުންނަ
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Lemon_Goby.jpg
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives (FAO/BOBP MAG/21) gives 'Muraka funna' (Latin form). Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'މުރަކަ ފުންނަ' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition); it matches the Latin form. FishBase also lists 'Reendumurukka-mas' under India (Minicoy/Lakshadweep Mahl dialect); not used.