Gobiodon ater Herler, Bogorodsky & Suzuki, 2013: Black Coralgoby

Synonyms or described as: No recorded synonyms.

Description: Gobiodon ater, also known as the Black Coralgoby, is distinguished from the other dark coloured members of genus Gobiodon by being uniformly black including the irises of the eye (Herler, Bogorodsky and Suzuki, 2013) (Figure 4). Due to the extension of the colouration into the iris, the eye is reported to be barely visible when this species is observed in the wild (Herler et al., 2013). Gobiodon ater is described as a smaller species within the genus, with the average standard length at around 28mm (Herler et al., 2013). It has been noted that if this species is placed under stress, it is not uncommon for the body colouration to fade to grey (Herler et al., 2013).

Distribution: The distribution of G. ater is believed to extend throughout the Red Sea, central Indian Ocean and may extend into the western Pacific Ocean (Herler et al., 2013), though this has not been confirmed (GBIF.Org, 2024).

Habitat: Gobiodon ater is known to frequently inhabit the corymbose coral Acropora selago (Studer, 1879), and the tabular coral A. hyacinthus, displaying a high level of specialisation for fine-branched corals (Herler et al., 2013). It has also been recorded to occupy other corymbose Acropora at reduced rates (Dirnwöber and Herler, 2007; Herler, Bogorodsky and Suzuki, 2013), including A. acuminta (Verill, 1864), A. samoensis (Brook, 1891), A. eurystoma (Klunzinger, 1879) and A. valida (Dana, 1846). Gobiodon ater has been more frequently observed in shallow water regions, including protected reef flats and crests (Herler et al., 2013).

Status: The current population status is described as ‘Data Deficient’ by IUCN due to the lack of data since the official species designation in 2013 (Larson, 2019a).

Sociality: No studies of sociality containing G. ater are known.

Genetics: It was thought that G. ater, identified from the Red Sea, may have been identical to other entirely black species that can be observed in the western Pacific Ocean, such as G. ceramensis, however this has been refuted using genetic analysis (Herler, Bogorodsky and Suzuki, 2013). Within the same paper as the description of this species, a large portion of Gobiodon was analysed using the 12S and 16S rRNA mitochondrial genes (Herler, Bogorodsky and Suzuki, 2013). Using these markers, the most closely related species were G. axillaris, followed by G. fuscoruber, G. histrio and G. erythrospilus. It is currently unknown whether the phylogenetic position of this species would change if additional genetic markers were included, as seen with other species. However, due to the recent naming of G. ater, it has not been included in genus-wide phylogenetic analyses.