Amblygobius albimaculatus
Spot this small sand-loving goby year-round in Marsa Alam, South Sinai and the Red Sea Riviera in water around 25-29C.
A slender, sand-coloured goby around 13 cm long, usually seen propped on its pelvic fins just above the seabed rather than swimming freely. Look for a row of pale, roundish spots along the flank and a slightly blunt, elongated snout typical of sand gobies. It rarely strays far from a burrow or a patch of open sand next to the reef, which helps separate it from reef-dwelling gobies that cling to coral or rubble.
Divers usually find it hovering low over open sand or rubble patches near the reef edge, propped up on its fins rather than cruising in open water. It tends to sit still and let divers approach fairly close before darting for cover, and it is logged as uncommon at most sites, so a slow scan of sandy reef margins is the best way to pick one out.
Like other sand gobies in its genus, it likely pairs with a burrow system it defends and retreats into when threatened, which is why patient, low-and-slow observation over sand patches tends to pay off more than fast reef swims.
Sightings show no clear season, and with a comfortable range of 24.6 to 29.3C year-round in the Red Sea, it can turn up on any dive regardless of month.
Reef neighbours a diver could mistake it for. Use the identification notes above to tell them apart.
This is a Red Sea speciality, most reliably logged across Egypt, with strong numbers in Marsa Alam & the Deep South, the Red Sea Riviera, and South Sinai. Smaller but confirmed populations turn up further north in Eilat, Israel, and along the Red Sea Coast of Saudi Arabia.
Mapping where Butterfly Goby is logged…
It is most reliably seen in Egypt, particularly Marsa Alam & the Deep South, the Red Sea Riviera, and South Sinai. Smaller numbers have also been logged in Eilat, Israel, and along Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast.
There is no strong seasonal pattern in the sightings data, and it lives comfortably in water from about 25 to 29C, so it is a fair year-round find on Red Sea reefs.
Look for a slim, sand-toned goby about 13 cm long propped on its pelvic fins over open sand near the reef, with a line of pale spots along its side. It rarely swims far from its burrow, which helps tell it apart from more free-swimming reef gobies.
They reach around 13 cm in length, making them a small, easy-to-overlook fish best spotted with a close, slow scan of sandy patches near the reef.
No, they pose no danger to divers. They are small, shy fish that retreat to their burrow if approached too quickly.
It spends most of its time propped on its pelvic fins near a burrow on sand or rubble rather than swimming freely over the reef, a habit shared with several other sand-dwelling gobies.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
Slender Goby
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