ORA appears to have claimed the first “species first” for 2014, announcing today their accomplishments breeding the Jaguar Goby, Gobiopsis quinquecincta. That said, based on the timing and details, ORA has been sitting quietly on this success for several months, at least well back in 2013.
According to ORA’s announcement, this is the species that initially made its way into the trade as Astrabe sp. from Japan (ORA obtained their broodstock in late 2010), and it wasn’t until examination of the offspring that a proper identification was made. Based on a reference ReefBuilder’s editor Jake Adams quickly turned up, this species has a much broader range than Japan, being found in sand & rubble zones at 0-10 meters in place including Sri Lanka, Palau, Malaysia, the Philippines and the Andaman Sea.
Clearly this is a welcome new addition to the ever-growing list of captive-bred accomplishments. Per ORA’s experiences, “They can grow to 3 inches in captivity and are content even in small aquaria. In reef aquariums they will find a small crevice to their liking and defend it from others of their own kind. They accept a wide range of foods and do not pester other reef inhabitants.”
No information is available at this time regarding the easy or difficulty of rearing the species, or any unusual procedures or protocols required. So we may assume for the moment, that this species probably accepts pretty standard goby-type rearing protocols, but admittedly that’s a total guess.
The gallery above shows a few specimens of the peculiar jaguar goby photographed at LiveAquaria which will be retailing for around $29.
