Elacatinus randalli
A 2cm reef sprite most reliably logged along Bonaire's Leeward Coast, sitting still in 25-28C water year-round.
Barely 2cm long, this goby has a translucent white to pale grey body with a bold yellow stripe running from its snout, over the head, and down the back to the tail. It perches rather than swims freely, propped on its fins on coral rubble, sponges, or ledges, often near a hole it can dart into. The yellow dorsal stripe against the pale body is the giveaway mark to look for at close range.
Look for it perched motionless on a coral head, sponge, or piece of rubble rather than cruising the reef, usually tucked close to a crevice it can retreat into if spooked. It tends to hold its ground at close range, letting divers get a good look before ducking for cover, and is easiest to pick out on slower, close-focus dives rather than drift-style swims. Most sightings come from shallower reef structure where the light is good enough to catch that yellow stripe.
Like other members of the Elacatinus cleaner-goby group, this species is thought to pick parasites and dead skin off larger reef fish, though it is far less studied than its better-known Pacific cousins.
No clear season shows up in the sightings, and with water sitting a comfortable 25.4 to 28.2C on these reefs year-round, it's a fair bet on any dive regardless of month.
Reef neighbours a diver could mistake it for. Use the identification notes above to tell them apart.
Bonaire's Leeward Coast is by far the most reliable place to find it, with strong numbers also logged around East Coast Bonaire and Klein Bonaire. Outside Bonaire, it turns up around Saint-Pierre and Les Anses-d'Arlet in Martinique, and at Soufriere and Anse Cochon in Saint Lucia, with occasional sightings off Curacao.
Mapping where Yellownose Goby is logged…
Bonaire's Leeward Coast is the standout location, with reliable sightings also around Klein Bonaire and East Coast Bonaire. It's also logged in Martinique around Saint-Pierre and Les Anses-d'Arlet, and in Saint Lucia at Soufriere and Anse Cochon.
There's no strong seasonal pattern in the sightings, and reef temperatures stay in a steady 25.4 to 28.2C range year-round, so it's seen consistently across the calendar rather than in one particular season.
Look for a tiny, 2cm fish with a translucent whitish body and a bright yellow stripe running from nose to tail. It perches still on rubble or coral rather than swimming in the open, which makes it easier to spot than to photograph.
It tops out at around 2cm, making it one of the smaller reef gobies divers log, easy to miss unless you're looking closely at coral rubble and sponges.
No. It poses no threat to divers at all and will simply retreat into a crevice if you get too close.
It belongs to the Elacatinus group of cleaner gobies, thought to service larger reef fish by picking off parasites, a behaviour better documented in its close Pacific relatives than in this species specifically.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
Slender Goby
803 sites
