Lubricogobius dinah is a fantastically coloured goby that is found predominantly in the Ryuku islands off Japan, and Papua New Guinea. The little fish is painted in a striking highlighter yellow with a silvery stripe that runs from the head down the dorsal region to the caudal penducle. Many often make the mistake of comparing this little gem to the common Yellow Clown Goby (Gobiodon okinawae), but the two fishes differ in almost all aspects, except probably for the colour and relative shape. The Dinah’s goby is placed in a different genus, Lubricogobius, which it shares with another six members or so.
[youtube width=”680″ height=”420″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUx7Z_E5Ce4[/youtube]
The Dinah’s goby can be found at 10-36m in depth, but is cryptic and difficult to spot. Their geographical range also makes them rather difficult to obtain. It’s little wonder then, that this little fish is very rare in the trade, and specimens are typically shipped to the Japanese market where Goby enthusiasts pay up to USD1,500 per pair.
The gorgeous and beautiful photos above by Tony Wu illustrates the exquisite beauty and daintiness of these rare gobies. These are probably some of the best photos of the species on the internet. For a detailed account on the photography of the gobies, you can check it out here.
