Gobiodon histrio, Broad-barred goby Description
Deutsch: Gobiodon histrio in Weichkoralle
Date 5 January 2011
Author Dr. Oliver Schneider
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gobiodon_histrio_6.1.2011_030_b.jpg
Gobiodon histrio, the Broad-barred goby, is a species of goby native to the Indian Ocean from the Red sea to the western Pacific Ocean to southern Japan, Samoa and the Great Barrier Reef. This fish produces a toxin that deters predators. When disturbed, it releases compounds that inhibit the locomotion of other fish. At high enough concentrations, the toxin causes the predator to lose equilibrium and tip over. It takes part in a mutualistic relationship with a species of coral, Acropora nasuta. When the coral is damaged by toxic Chlorodesmis algae, it produces a compound that attracts the fish. The fish eat the alga and this enhances their toxicity. Order: Perciformes, Family: Gobiidae, Genus: Gobiodon, Species: Gobiodon histrio (Valenciennes, 1837).