Pleurosicya mossambica Smith, 1959

Size

Pleurosicya mossambica is a small goby fish that reaches a maximum recorded total length of 3 centimeters (1 inch).

Body & Fin Morphology

Its body is pale red and partially translucent, with seven dorsal spines, seven to eight soft dorsal rays, one anal spine, and eight soft anal rays.

Eye Characteristics

It has prominent eyes marked with red and yellow rings, positioned at roughly 45 degrees on each side of the head to give it an expanded field of vision.

Pelvic Fin Adaptation

Its pelvic fins have evolved into sucker-like structures that let it attach to corals in areas with strong water currents.

Native Range

This species is native to the greater western Indo-Pacific region. Its range extends west to the Red Sea and eastern African coast, east to Fiji and the Marquesas Islands, north to southern Japan, and south to southeastern Australia and New Caledonia.

Habitat & Depth

It inhabits coastal bays and reef slopes at depths between 2 and 30 meters (10 and 100 feet), and is most often found near one of its many host organisms.

Host Organisms

Pleurosicya mossambica lives among a diverse range of plant and invertebrate hosts, including soft corals, sponges, Tridacna clams, broad-blade plants, algae, and bivalves.

Sea Cucumber Host Record

At least one recorded observation documents this species living among the blue sea cucumber Actinopyga caerulea off the coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Reproductive Hermaphroditism

This is a protogynous species, meaning it is a sequential hermaphrodite where female reproductive organs mature before male reproductive organs.

Spawning Behavior

It is a benthic spawner, and typically deposits its eggs on ascidians or soft corals.