Teleostei (teleosts) >
Gobiiformes (Gobies) >
Xenisthmidae (Collared wrigglers)
Etymology: Xenisthmus: Greek, xenos = strange + Greek, isthmos = throat, narrow passage (Ref. 45335).
More on authors: Gill & Randall.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; depth range 2 - 17 m (Ref. 12713). Tropical
Western Indian Ocean: Arabian Gulf (Saudi Arabia) and the Red Sea (Eritrea, Egypt and Saudi Arabia).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 2.6 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 12713); 3.1 cm SL (female)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13 - 14; Anal spines: 1; Anal soft rays: 12 - 13; Vertebrae: 26. This species is distinguished by the following set of characters: D VI + I,13 (rarely I,14); anterior rim of posterior nostril raised, without well-developed flap; mainly cycloid on body; head and body pale, with reticulate mottling dorsally (Ref. 115539).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated; Cross section: oval.
Found on sand and rubble with small patches of mostly dead coral or at the base of a drop-off.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Gill, A.C. and J.E. Randall, 1994. Xenisthmus balius, a new species of fish from the Persian Gulf (Gobioidei: Xenisthmidae). Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 107(3):445-450. (Ref. 12713)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
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