RLS Technical Series #6: Eviota guttata is more complex than you'd think

Eviota guttata observations in the Reef Life Survey database have had a makeover, reflecting recently described species within what we now know to be the E. guttata complex. So, how complex is the process of telling these pygmygobies apart?

By RLS Support Officer Joanna Schmid

May 06, 2026

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You may be familiar with Eviota guttata; a species of pygmygoby which has been recorded by RLS divers around 3000 times. This tiny goby presents with a cluster of red blotches atop its head, and alternating red and yellow to white bands on its flanks. Well if only it was that simple! In 2023, Erdmann, Greenfield, and Tornabene (veritable goby experts) shed some much needed light on what we now know to be an entire complex of related species of Eviota, each (so far) with unique presentations of the markings listed above. While some members of the complex were previously described, descriptions of their colour in life were often not available, making it extremely difficult to positively identify these species in the field. Now with renewed knowledge, we can begin to confidently differentiate this cohort of closely related but geographically non-overlapping species both in the field and in Reef Life Survey's historical data.

Although there are still likely many more species in this complex yet to be described, here is what we know so far, starting with the fish of the hour:

Eviota guttata

First described from specimens in the Red Sea, E. guttata currently has confirmed observations in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Oman
Head spots are each distinctly separate from one another. One is interorbital (between and behind the eyes, on the midline), and the remaining two are behind each eye
Eyes with thin white or gold spokes extending out from the pupil, occasionally with mottling over the iris
Red stripe behind eye incomplete
Red blocks on side of body are wider than they are tall

Eviota teresae

Known to occur in Fiji, and individuals within the coral triangle closely resembling this species are yet to be genetically verified
Out of all of the 'Eviota guttata' photos in our archive, almost all fit the morpholigical description of E. teresae, leading us to tentatitvely believe this to be the more widespread of the complex
Like E. guttata, head spots are each distinctly separate from one another. One is interorbital (between and behind the eyes, on the midline), and the remaining two are behind each eye
Eyes with a gold ring around the pupil, and no prominent spokes
Red stripe behind eye incomplete
Red bars on side of body are roughly triangular, being roughly two times wider at the top than the bottom
White/ yellow bars wider than pupil diameter

Eviota guttata, Red Sea. Photo by Graham Edgar

Eviota taeiae

Known to occur in Samoa, but likely more widespread
Originally described from Nuusafee Island, Samoa in 2023, and recently recorded by RLS divers in Samoa and Wallis and Fortuna
Head spots are connected to eachother, rather than separate as in E. guttata and E. teresae
Eyes with multiple thin white or gold spokes radiating out from the pupil, occasionally with mottling over the iris (like E. guttata)
Red stripe extending behind each eye is partially complete, whereas is incomplete in E. guttata and E. teresae
Red bars on side of body are taller than they are wide
White/ yellow bars are narrower than pupil diameter

Eviota albolineata

Known to occur in the Society Islands and Tuamotus, French Polynesia. Thought to be restricted to these locations, however based on specimens photographed further east (e.g. Cook Islands), RLS have more wide-ranging records of this species (not genetically confirmed)
Lacking interorbital red spot which is present in all other species within the complex
Eyes with four wide white or gold spokes extending out from pupil, with no mottling on iris
Red stripe behind eye is partly connected to the two large red spots behind the eyes
Rectangular red bars are relatively narrow compared to sister species E. taeiae
White/ yellow bars are relatively narrow compared to E. teresae

Eviota albolineata, Cook Islands. Photo by Graham Edgar

While we now have a clearer idea of some of the members of this species complex and where to find them, Erdmann, Greenfield and Tornabene theorise that their work has only just begun. Different colour variations are seen in locations throughout the Pacific, hinting that there may be additional species within the complex that are not yet described. And indeed, observations that Reef Life Survey are now assigning to E. teresae based on our archival photos taken during surveys are not certain records, as the occurrence of this species has not yet been genetically verified outside of Fiji. With that said, the authors similarly note that photographs of specimens throughout the Coral Triangle closely resemble those from Fiji.

There are likely more updates to this species complex on the horizon, and we encourage Reef Life Survey divers to brush up on the differences between these species and to take lots of photos! We are available to help you with identification of these trickier species, so don't hesitate to send photos through to [email protected]. You can find a more extensive photo library and full descriptions in this paper.

Literature cited:

Erdmann, MV, Greenfield, DW & Tornabene, L 2023, Eviota taeiae, a new dwarfgoby (Teleostei: Gobiidae) of the Eviota guttata complex from Samoa, Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation, vol. 40.

Greenfield, DW 2021, Four new fishes of the genus Eviota from the Western Pacific, with clarification of Eviota guttata and Eviota albolineata (Telestei: Gobiidae), Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, vol. 61, no. 3, pp. 269-2889.