Reef Encounters: Gobies
Mike Bartick(Cryptocentrus sp.) This yellow version of the blue-spot shrimp goby is perhaps a female and is sometimes called a watchman. The slow approach allowed me to get up close and personal with this not-so-skittish goby. I was close enough to use my + 5 diopter and fill the frame. The Alpheid partner shrimp is in the rear right of the frame.
Mike Bartick(Stonogobiops nematodes) The black-ray shrimp goby is a curious fellow that will leave its burrow and hover slightly above its sentinel post, perhaps to get a better view of the sandy horizon. I was lucky enough to get an image of its colorful buddy at work, plowing and bulldozing its burrow just below him. The shrimp and goby stay in constant contact as the goby will slightly swipe its tail communicating with the shrimp, signaling the all-clear. With a quick, sharp movement the goby sends a warning to the shrimp, sending it into hiding as the goby stands at alert.
Mike Bartick(Amblyeleotris sp.) One of my favorite things about shooting or observing gobies is that they are very animated. The freckled shrimp goby in this image kept coming out of his hole and seemed to be yelling at me. Even though I seemed to agitate this poor guy to no end, he was still comfortable enough with my presence to allow me to photograph him in action.
Mike Bartick(Bryaninops natans) The pink-eyed hover goby is a very pretty variety to photograph. They range is size from miniscule during the juvenile phase to over an inch as an adult. They always have a pink to reddish eye, throughout their entire life cycles. They are associated exclusively with Acropora corals.
Mike BartickThe twin-spot coral goby (ID pending) is a new one that actually found me. I was photographing a blenny when this guy wanted the center of attention. I positioned myself upside down, facing down on a small wall trying to photograph this tiny guy.
Mike BartickA wire-coral, or whip-coral, goby is seen here sitting on a brood of eggs. These gobies spend their entire lives on these coral whips, rarely leaving them. Sometimes two or three of these gobies will share a common coral growth amongst themselves, a crab, or even a shrimp, as these coral whips are a community unto themselves. The whip coral is actually very fragile and is damaged by the slightest touch.
Mike BartickCommon-lined coral gobies can be found on nearly every reef and coral head and can grow to be quite large. They seem timid at first, but will soon allow the photographer to get close enough to use powerful diopters. I shot this one yawning or inflating itself as a defensive posture, perhaps seeing its own reflection in my lens.
This ghost goby specimen stands guard over its eggs on a blue tunicate. Checking tunicates will often yield many interesting finds such as this. This goby never moved away from its post, ensuring the eggs' safety.
Mike BartickThe cute factor is a highly desirable target for macro shooters — for me, anyway. These brightly colored yellow dwarf gobies (Lubricogobius exiguus) are playful and live as pairs. They are commonly found on dive sites amongst the tube anemones, living in bottles, or any other place that offers shelter for them and their eggs.
There's cute, cuter and then the cutest of the bunch, which is also the most trying to photograph — the hairy goby (Paragobiodon xanthosoma). These skittish little gems aren't necessarily rare, they're just overlooked and hard to see due to their skittish nature. They're commonly observed living amongst a specific type of extremely fragile acropora coral; they often live in pairs and with a small crab that also protects the small coral heads. Unfortunately, aggressive photographers will damage these slow growing corals by snapping off the arms to get a clearer photograph.
Mike Bartick__Just when you think it couldn’t get any harder to shoot these elusive gobies, a black one appears (___Paragobiodon modestus)._ Without any contrast for autofocus, snapping the perfect shot of these guys is very challenging. Black objects tend to photograph well at lower f-stops and shutter speeds, depending on the subject. Focus is another story.
Mike BartickThere's cute, cuter and then the cutest of the bunch, which is also the most trying to photograph — the hairy goby (Paragobiodon xanthosoma). These skittish little gems aren't necessarily rare, they're just overlooked and hard to see due to their skittish nature. They're commonly observed living amongst a specific type of extremely fragile acropora coral; they often live in pairs and with a small crab that also protects the small coral heads. Unfortunately, aggressive photographers will damage these slow growing corals by snapping off the arms to get a clearer photograph.
From rural open sand flats to the tight prime real estate of tropical reefs, gobies can be found almost anywhere in our underwater realm. Gobies are generally a small, timid and carnivorous fish that can survive in fresh water, rivers, brackish water and other near shore habitats. In a healthy reef system, gobies can make up one third of the total fish count with over 20 varieties and even though they occupy the highest counts of any other family of fish (191 separately described species to date) they can still remain elusive.
Shrimp gobies, coral gobies and hover gobies are my three basic groups of gobies with each of these self-named subclasses occupying a different habitat. I classify them thusly as they also require different methods of photography and diving techniques to get close enough to observe. The successful goby photographer will use a stealthy, low approach. Once a goby has become used to your presence, it will settle down and allow you to creep close, but be ready —they will pose just long enough to snap into focus before suddenly disappearing.
Shrimp gobies of many varieties monopolize the sandy bottom at nearly every depth I’ve explored, with or without a camera. They come in various colors and normally share their burrows with industrious snapper shrimp. They spook easily and will disappear at once if you’ve been detected nearby. But the trained eye will quickly look for the telltale sign, a narrow dugout trail created by the excavating partner shrimp. The goby and shrimp make quite a team as they are constantly working together to keep their burrow strong and tidy. The snapper shrimp trades off cleaning duties for protection from predators as the goby stands watch.
Hover gobies, are found hovering in small aggregations above small coral heads on sandy slopes, wrecks, or any dive site that supports small table corals like Acropora. This subclass of gobies makes up a small group which can be frustratingly fun to photograph.
Coral gobies, on the other hand, will perch and rest on the corals themselves, fire coral and branching Porities, wire corals_ Subergogia,_ soft corals, even black Antipathes.
Dwarf gobies, ghost gobies, flatheads, wolfsnouts, whip gobies, hairy gobies and more all fill the cute requirement no matter which subclass I might have them filed under, and that makes them prime for macro photographers worldwide. My lens of choice is a longer macro lens like a 100 or 105 with a tele-converter or diopter depending on the subject. Happy hunting!
Special thanks to Dr. Gerald Allen for ID assistance on the hairy gobies and Crystal Blue Resort.
Mike Bartick was born and raised in Southern California, not far from the ocean in Huntington Beach. After finding his first nudibranch on an Open Water checkout dive, he was immediately hooked on diving. Bartick, who splits his time between the Indo-Pacific and the Eastern Pacific as a freelance photographer, photojournalist and field guide, shoots with a Nikon D300 and D300s, Sea and Sea housings, and YS-D1 and YS 250 pro strobes. To see more of his work, visit saltwaterphoto.com.
