Gobiodon histrio (Valenciennes, 1837)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Gobiodon histrio, the Broad-barred goby, is a species of goby native to the Indian Ocean from the Red Sea to the western Pacific Ocean to southern Japan, Samoa and the Great Barrier Reef. This species is a reef dweller, being found at depths of from 2 to 15 metres (6.6 to 49.2 ft). It can reach a length of 3.5 centimetres (1.4 in) TL. This species can also be found in the aquarium trade.
This fish produces a toxin that deters predators. When disturbed, it releases compounds that inhibit the locomotion of other fish. At high enough concentrations, the toxin causes the predator to lose equilibrium and tip over. It takes part in a mutualistic relationship with a species of coral, Acropora nasuta. When the coral is damaged by toxic Chlorodesmis algae, it produces a compound that attracts the fish. The fish eat the alga and this enhances their toxicity.
G. histrio can change sex in either direction. When a pair of gobies of the same sex colonize a new coral patch, one of them changes to the opposite sex.
Wikipedia contributors, Gobiodon histrio; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T22:39:04.824280+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Gobiodon histrio (Valenciennes, 1837)
- Name authority
- (Valenciennes, 1837)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Gobiiformes
- Family
- Gobiidae
- Genus
- Gobiodon
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderGobiiformes
- familyGobiidae Cuvier, 1816
- subfamilyGobiinae Cuvier, 1816
- genusGobiodon Bleeker, 1856
- speciesGobiodon histrio (Valenciennes, 1837)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Gobiodon. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Gobiodon albofasciatus Sawada & Arai, 1972 | GobiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gobiodon atrangulatus Garman, 1903 | GobiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gobiodon fulvus Herre, 1927 | GobiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gobiodon fuscoruber Herler, Bogorodsky & Suzuki, 2013 | GobiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gobiodon multilineatus Wu, 1979 | GobiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gobiodon oculolineatus Wu, 1979 | GobiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gobiodon okinawae Sawada, Arai & Abe, 1972 | GobiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gobiodon spilophthalmus Fowler, 1944 | GobiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gobiodon winterbottomi Suzuki, Yanao & Senou, 2012 | GobiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gobiodon acicularis Harold & Winterbottom, 1995 | GobiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gobiodon ater Herler, Bogorodsky & Suzuki, 2013 | GobiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gobiodon heterospilos Bleeker, 1856 | GobiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Gobiodon verticalis Alleyne & MacLeay, 1877 Alleyne & MacLeay, 1877 | synonym |
| Gobius histrio Valenciennes, 1837 Valenciennes, 1837 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=276928 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3GPCW. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.