Common names: goby (English), gobio (Espanol)
Ctenogobius sagittula (Günther, 1861)
Lancetail goby, Longtail goby
Elongate, compressed body; head short, depressed, cheeks bulbous, snout blunt; eyes large, towards front, narrow between them; 2 pores behind eye, last one above preopercle; an oblique row of papillae posteriorly on operculum; mouth horizontal, large, slightly underneath snout; teeth in several rows on each jaw, inner row of top row much larger, curved, 1-2 large canines near front of lower jaw; no gill rakers on upper first gill arch, one triangular raker at the angle of the arch and 3-4 triangular rakers on the lower arch; dorsal fin VI + I, 12-13; I, 13 anal rays; 1 more ray on 2nd dorsal fin than anal fin; pelvics fused to form disc; tail fin long and pointed, body with rough scales, 55-65 in lateral series; predorsal scales extending forward to level of middle of opercle, but scales absent on mid- dorsal line, anterior to dorsal fin origin, remainder of head scaleless.
Light tan with 4 dark brown blotches along middle of side and dark brown spot at middle of caudal fin base; a brown stripe on cheek and brown blotch just behind on center of gill cover; second dorsal and caudal fin with brown spots.
Size: to at least 20 cm.
Inhabits sand or mud bottoms of shallow bays and estuaries.
Depth: 0-5 m.
California to the Gulf of California to northern Peru.
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