Stiphodon
Stiphodon is a genus of freshwater gobies. They inhabit swift, clear streams close to the sea and are found in large parts of Asia and Oceania. Many of the 36 currently recognized species have extremely restricted distributions on single islands or even single streams. These are small gobies with bodies squarish in cross section. A female of Stiphodon multisquamus with a standard length of 60.4mm is the largest Stiphodon individual on record. Males of Stiphodon species are often vividly colored and a few species are occasionally sold in the aquarium trade, including Stiphodon ornatus, Stiphodon atropurpureus, Stiphodon maculidorsalis, Stiphodon semoni, and Stiphodon surrufus.
Species
There are currently 38 recognized species in this genus:Stiphodon alcedo Maeda, Mukai & Tachihara, 2012 – Described from Okinawa and Iriomote in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, but these may be vagrant populations transported to Japan via the Kuroshio Current, and the species may actually be endemic to and present in larger numbers in the PhilippinesStiphodon allen R. E. Watson, 1996 – Endemic to Queensland, Australia Stiphodon annieae Keith & Hadiaty, 2015 – Endemic to IndonesiaStiphodon astilbos P. A. Ryan, 1986 – Endemic to VanuatuStiphodon atratus R. E. Watson, 1996 – Native to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Admiralty Islands, Bismarck Archipelago, Bougainville, Vanuatu, and New CaledoniaStiphodon atropurpureus – Probably endemic to the Philippines, but possible vagrant populations or misidentified specimens have also been recorded from Japan, Taiwan, southern China, and southern Malaysia. Often confused with the very similar Stiphodon semoni, though their native ranges do not overlap. Many other similar-looking species of Stiphodon are also mislabeled as S. atropurpureus in the aquarium trade.Stiphodon aureofuscus Keith, Busson, S. Sauri, Hubert & Hadiaty, 2015 – Endemic to Indonesia- Stiphodon aureorostrum Chen & Tan, 2005 – Endemic to MalaysiaStiphodon birdsong R. E. Watson, 1996 – Native to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, from Halmahera to the northern coastline of Papua New GuineaStiphodon caeruleus Parenti & Maciolek, 1993 – Endemic to Pohnpei, Caroline Islands, MicronesiaStiphodon carisa R. E. Watson, 2008 – Endemic to Sumatra, IndonesiaStiphodon chlorestesStiphodon discotorquatus R. E. Watson, 1995 – Endemic to French PolynesiaStiphodon elegans – Native to Polynesia, including Wallis and Futuna, Samoa, the Cook Islands, and French Polynesia. It was previously recorded with a wider geographic distribution, but this needs to be verified as they are likely to be other misidentified species.
- Stiphodon hadiatyae N. Nurjirana, R. Gustiano, H. Haryono & K. Wibowo, 2025 – Endemic to Enggano IslandStiphodon hydroreibatus R. E. Watson, 1999 – Native to the Samoan Islands and FutunaStiphodon imperiorientis R. E. Watson & I. S. Chen, 1998 – Native to southern Japan, southern China, and probably eastern TaiwanStiphodon julieni Keith, R. E. Watson & Marquet, 2002 – Endemic to Rapa Iti in French PolynesiaStiphodon kalfatak Keith, Marquet & R. E. Watson, 2007 – Endemic to Santo Island, VanuatuStiphodon larson R. E. Watson, 1996 – Endemic to Papua New GuineaStiphodon maculidorsalis Maeda & H. H. Tan, 2013 – Endemic to West Sumatra, IndonesiaStiphodon martenstyni R. E. Watson, 1998 – Endemic to southwestern Sri LankaStiphodon mele Keith, Marquet & Pouilly, 2009 – Native to Vanuatu and New CaledoniaStiphodon multisquamus H. L. Wu & Y. Ni, 1986 – Native to Hainan, southern China, and JapanStiphodon niraikanaiensis Maeda, 2013 – Endemic to JapanStiphodon oatea Keith, Feunteun & Vigneux, 2010 – Native to French Polynesia and the MarquesasStiphodon ornatus Meinken, 1974 – Endemic to Aceh and West Sumatra in Sumatra, IndonesiaStiphodon palawanensis Maeda & Palla, 2015 – Endemic to Palawan, PhilippinesStiphodon pelewensis Herre, 1936 – Native to Palau, but might also be found throughout the Mariana Islands to as far as PohnpeiStiphodon percnopterygionus R. E. Watson & I. S. Chen, 1998 – Native to the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, Taiwan, Guam in the Mariana Islands, and Babelthuap in PalauStiphodon pulchellus – Endemic to the PhilippinesStiphodon rubromaculatus Keith & Marquet, 2007 – Endemic to FutunaStiphodon rutilaureus R. E. Watson, 1996 – Native to Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Fiji Stiphodon sapphirinus R. E. Watson, Keith & Marquet, 2005 – Native to New Caledonia and VanuatuStiphodon semoni M. C. W. Weber, 1895 – Native from the Maluku Islands of Indonesia to Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and New Caledonia. Often confused with the very similar Stiphodon atropurpureus, though their native ranges do not overlap.Stiphodon surrufus R. E. Watson & Kottelat, 1995 – Endemic to Lagu Lagu Creek in Leyte in the Philippines, but vagrant populations have also been reported in low abundance in Japan, probably transported via the Kuroshio CurrentStiphodon tuivi R. E. Watson, 1995 – Native to the Marquesas and French PolynesiaStiphodon weberi R. E. Watson, G. R. Allen & Kottelat, 1998 – Endemic to Ambon and Halmahera in the Maluku Islands and Yapen in Irian Jaya, IndonesiaStiphodon zebrinus R. E. Watson, G. R. Allen & Kottelat, 1998 – Endemic to Halmahera, Indonesia