Caffrogobius saldanha
Small reef goby logged at 32 sites across Western Cape, South Africa, in water from 14.5 to 25.2C, seen year-round on cool temperate reefs.
A small, slender bottom-dweller reaching about 8cm, with a mottled brown to grey body that blends into rock and rubble. Look for it perched motionless on rock ledges or wedged into crevices rather than swimming in open water. It has the classic goby posture: propped on its pelvic fins, head slightly raised, watching rather than cruising.
Divers typically find it sitting still on a rock ledge or tucked into a crevice rather than actively foraging in view. It is not shy in the sense of bolting off, but it relies on staying put and blending in rather than approaching divers. Most sightings come from slow reef or wall dives where divers are scanning the substrate closely rather than mid-water swims.
Like other Caffrogobius species, it is a substrate-hugging goby that depends on camouflage rather than speed, so the best way to spot one is to slow down and check rock crevices instead of the open reef.
No clear seasonal pattern shows up in the data, and with a wide observed range of 14.5 to 25.2C it seems to tolerate the Cape's temperature swings across the year, so it is effectively a year-round sighting.
Reef neighbours a diver could mistake it for. Use the identification notes above to tell them apart.
This one is a Western Cape speciality, logged consistently on reef dives around South Africa and nowhere else in the current data. If you are diving the Cape's rocky reefs and kelp-fringed sites, keep an eye on ledges and crevices for it.
Mapping where Commafin Goby is logged…
It is most reliably logged on rocky reef dives in the Western Cape, South Africa, where it sits on ledges and in crevices. Current sighting data comes entirely from this region.
There is no detected seasonal pattern, so it is treated as a year-round sighting. It has been observed across a wide temperature range from 14.5 to 25.2C, consistent with the Cape's variable water temperatures.
Look for a small, mottled brown goby around 8cm long, propped on a rock ledge or wedged in a crevice rather than swimming freely. Its plain, camouflaged colouring and still, watchful posture are the main clues.
They are small, typically reaching around 8cm in length, which is fairly average for a reef-dwelling goby.
No, they pose no danger to divers. They are small, sedentary reef fish that rely on camouflage rather than any defensive behaviour.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
Slender Goby
803 sites
