164. Goldenspot Goby (Fusiogobius aureus)

Subject:

The Goldenspot Goby (Fusiogobius aureus), also known as the Golden Sandgoby, is a small, carnivorous fish that dwells on sandy bottoms, primarily feeding on small worms, mollusks, and tiny crustaceans such as amphipods and copepods which are found in the sandy substrate. Adult Goldenspot Gobies typically reach a maximum size of approximately 4cm/1.6 inch, but the species is often encountered in smaller sizes.

While this species is described as native to the waters of Northern Australia, the Indonesian archipelago, the Marshall Islands, and the Solomon Islands, it is, to my knowledge, also a relatively common fish in Mauritian waters.

This beautiful and charming fish is characterised by its translucent body, a small black spot on its first dorsal fin, numerous gold-coloured spots across its entire body, a few white flecks scattered among the golden spots, and visibly pink-coloured gills discernible through the gill plates. Due to the considerable distance between the two areas of occurrence, the Mauritian version may differ anatomically from the species found in Southeast Asia and Oceania. The Southeast Asian version tends to bear a small black spot at the base of its caudal fin or tail fin, a trait seemingly absent in the Mauritian version.

Gobies, belonging to a large fish family with more than 45 genera and over 200 species, are often confused with blennies. Gobies differ anatomically from blennies in having two-part dorsal fins instead of one long dorsal fin, as seen in blennies. Another distinguishing feature is their pose when lying on the bottom or substrate; blennies curve their bodies, while gobies lie in a straight position. Blennies also tend to be more active compared to gobies and exhibit more pronounced cirri on their heads, in contrast to the smoother heads of gobies.

Technique:

Due to its small size, light-coloured and translucent body, this beautiful little fish is often overlooked by scuba divers, underwater photographers, and videographers alike. To find rare and little gems in the aquatic world, it is advisable to always keep an eye on the sandy patches between big rocks and coral bommies while scuba diving. Once you find a critter worth filming or photographing, it is wise to observe the animal’s behaviour for a minute or so. Later, when you position yourself in front of your subject, your observations might help you predict and anticipate the fish’s next moves.

It was sheer luck to have this little critter yawn twice in less than a minute. Always keep your camera rolling; you never know what an animal might do next, even if that means recording minutes of uninteresting footage. Most actions underwater happen in a split second and are easily missed. Too much unusable or uninteresting footage can always be deleted during the editing process. Many times, I pressed the stop button too fast, seriously regretting missing the chance to capture that unique behaviour on camera, because animal behaviour is what makes underwater filmmaking so interesting. Filming just a fish that passes by is not very interesting to watch, unless you’re a hungry cat with scuba ambitions.

Filming location:

This short underwater videoclip has been filmed in Mauritius 🇲🇺

164. Goldenspot Goby (Fusiogobius aureus)

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