Redhead Goby, Tigrigobius puncticulatus

Redhead Goby, Tigrigobius puncticulatus, Juvenile. Underwater photograph taken in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, October 2019. Photograph courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

Redhead Goby, Tigrigobius puncticulatus. Underwater photographs taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, from November 2018 to January 2022. Photographs courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuantanejo.

Banded Cleaning Goby, Tigrigobius digueti and Redhead Goby, Tigrigobius puncticulatus. Underwater photograph taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, January 2022. Photograph courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuantanejo.

The Redhead Goby, Tigrigobius puncticulatus, is a member of the Goby or Gobiidae Family, and is known in Mexico as gobio cabaza roja. Globally, there are sixteen species in the genus Tigrigobius, of which four are found in Mexican waters, all in the Pacific Ocean. Note: there is some confusion in the taxonomy with this species historically placed in the Elacatinus genus, i.e. as Elacantinus puncticulatus.

The Redhead Gobies has an elongated body with a rounded head. The head is entirely red or translucent with red from the snout to behind the eye on top of the head, red eyes with a red stripe between the eyes that has white boarders. The body is translucent pale yellow with eight black spots along the sides and a broad black stripe just above the stomach and lacks scales. Their anal fin has 1 spine and 9 or 10 rays; their caudal fin is rounded; their first dorsal fin has 7 spines; their second dorsal fin has 1 spine and 10 to 12 rays; their pectoral fins have 20 to 23 rays; and, their pelvic fins are fused to form a sucking disc.

The Redhead Goby is found in rocky reef environments, frequently associated with the Perplexing Sea Urchin, Hesperocidaris perplexa, at depths up to 18 m (60 feet). They reach a maximum of 4.6 cm (1.8 inches) in length. They feed primarily on zooplankton and small crustaceans. The Redhead Goby  is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Redhead Goby is a resident of the Pacific waters of the Pacific Ocean but has a limited distribution being found in the southern two-thirds of the Sea of Cortez and south along the west coast of the mainland to Guatemala.

The Redhead Goby is a straightforward identification and cannot easily be confused with any other species.

From a conservation perspective the Redhead Goby is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are small in stature and of limited interest to most. They are however utilized by the aquarium trade on a limited basis requiring a high level of maintenance and have a shy and docile behavior and can be bred in captivity.