Mahidolia mystacina (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
Mahidolia mystacina, the flagfin prawn goby, flagfin shrimpgoby or smiling goby, is a species of goby native to the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean from Delagoa Bay, Mozambique to the Society Islands and from southern Japan to Samoa and northern Australia. This species occurs in marine and brackish waters, being found in coastal bays, estuaries and reef bases where the bottom is silty or muddy at depths of from 5 to 25 metres (16 to 82 ft). This species is a commensal with a species of alpheid shrimp, using its burrow as its home. This species can reach a length of 8 centimetres (3.1 in) TL. This species can also be found in the aquarium trade. It was first discovered at the mouth of the Chanthaburi River, Amphoe Laem Sing, Chanthaburi Province, Eastern Thailand by H. M. Smith.
Wikipedia contributors, Mahidolia mystacina; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:07:10.594845+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Mahidolia mystacina (Valenciennes, 1837)
- Name authority
- (Valenciennes, 1837)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Gobiiformes
- Family
- Gobiidae
- Genus
- Mahidolia
- 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
- genusMahidolia Smith, 1932
- speciesMahidolia mystacina (Valenciennes, 1837)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Mahidolia. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Mahidolia paucipora Allen & Erdmann, 2019 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Gobius mystacinus Valenciennes, 1837 Valenciennes, 1837 | synonym |
| Mahidiolia duque Smith, 1947 Smith, 1947 | synonym |
| Mahidiolia normani Smith & Koumans, 1932 Smith & Koumans, 1932 | synonym |
| Waitea mystacina (Valenciennes, 1837) (Valenciennes, 1837) | synonym |
| Gobius mystacina Valenciennes, 1837 Valenciennes, 1837 | synonym |
| Gobius pulverulentus Kuhl & van Hasselt, 1837 Kuhl & van Hasselt, 1837 | synonym |
| Mahidoria mystacina (Valenciennes, 1837) (Valenciennes, 1837) | synonym |
| Waitea buchanani Rao, 1972 Rao, 1972 | synonym |
| Mahidolia duque Smith, 1947 Smith, 1947 | synonym |
| Mahidolia normani Smith & Koumans, 1932 Smith & Koumans, 1932 | synonym |
| Mahidolia mystacinus (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=219512 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:3XJ2K. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.