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Glass Goby

Coryphopterus hyalinus

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Original side-profile illustration of Glass Goby (Coryphopterus hyalinus); a transparent body and dark face mask resemble those of the masked goby.
Original identification illustration of Glass Goby. Features may vary.

Fun facts for your next surface interval

  • A glass goby can hover above the bottom instead of sitting on it.
  • Its lower eye is dark, contrasting with the white lower eye of masked goby.
  • Its fine dark scale outlines can become visible even through an otherwise transparent body.

Florida and local context

Florida Keys: The checked specialist species account explicitly includes the Florida Keys.

Documented regional presence is not a guarantee of an encounter or a measure of how common this animal is at your dive site.

How to recognize this animal

A transparent body and dark face mask resemble those of the masked goby. In glass goby the lower portion of the eye is dark, and the pectoral base lacks the short white horizontal bar. Fine dark scale-edge crosshatching and pepper spots can be visible. White internal dashes alternate with orange blotches along the body, with a thin dark line beneath.

Size and life stages

The Smithsonian account gives a maximum length of about 4 cm (1.6 inches). Its reported depth envelope is 3–52 m in the Smithsonian record. These are species-level limits, not the expected size and depth of every encounter. Use markings and proportions as well as apparent length; a photograph without a reliable scale cannot establish an exact measurement.

Habitat and where to look

Glass gobies form aggregations above reef substrate, including around ledges and coral drop-offs. The Smithsonian description places them roughly half a meter above the bottom. The specialist account also describes shaded caves and reef slopes. These are observations of habitat use, not a suggestion to enter an overhead environment in order to find the fish.

Range and local context

The documented regional range is Bermuda and the Bahamas, Florida Keys and other Gulf locations, through the Caribbean to Trinidad. The checked specialist species account explicitly includes the Florida Keys. The unverified Lake Worth Lagoon row is not treated as proof of a Palm Beach sighting. These records establish geographic occurrence, not abundance or a guaranteed encounter at a particular dive site.

What is on the menu?

This small reef fish eats zooplankton. Its position in the water just above reef relief separates the feeding habitat from that of gobies searching the sand itself. A school may face into moving water and make small feeding movements, but the exact prey species will usually be invisible to a diver. Feeding the school would alter the behavior being observed.

Daily habits and behavior

Aggregation and hovering are characteristic behaviors. The near-transparent body leaves internal pigment and the dark eye especially visible in a photograph. Its conservation assessment has classified it as Vulnerable, reflecting projected pressure from lionfish and habitat change rather than a legal Florida no-take designation. A broad assessment should not be presented as a measured local population decline.

Mating and the next generation

The recorded reproductive categories are benthic eggs and a pelagic larval stage. The specialist source does not provide enough reliable local detail to assign a Palm Beach breeding season or clutch size. It is particularly important not to copy a sex-change timetable from masked goby into this species account merely because the two fishes look alike.

Look-alikes and identification traps

Masked goby is the main identification trap. Check the dark lower eye, absence of a white pectoral-base bar and fine dark body crosshatching together. The glass goby has paired small anterior interorbital pores, whereas masked goby differs in that arrangement; this is mainly a technical identification character. A group photograph may not show the detail needed for a confident species label.

Observe without disturbing

Photograph from the open-water side of the ledge without entering caves, squeezing under coral or scattering the aggregation. Include a close eye-and-shoulder view if the fish naturally approaches. Record glass/masked goby when the diagnostic details remain unresolved. Stay with your buddy and retain a normal dive profile rather than descending farther to pursue a tiny fish.

Harvest, protection and eating safety

Restricted marine life: live collection only; no spearing

Can it be hunted or harvested?

Glass Goby (Coryphopterus hyalinus) is regulated tropical ornamental marine life, not an unrestricted food-fishing species. FWC lists gobies, family Gobiidae. Where collection is lawful, a saltwater fishing license is required unless exempt. Land and keep the fish alive with circulating, aerated or oxygenated life support. Maximum permitted harvest size is 2 inches TOTAL length, not a minimum. Larger individuals must not be collected. Daily limit: five of this species within 20 marine-life organisms total per person. Two-day possession maximum: ten of this species within 40 organisms total. Recreational sale is prohibited.

Florida seasons and areas

No annual recreational closed months are listed for this marine-life species. Collection is prohibited within the designated Blue Heron Bridge dive-site boundary and throughout Biscayne National Park. Collection of these gobies and blennies is also prohibited in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Florida marine-life rules also apply in adjacent federal waters on both coasts. Check the exact park, refuge or sanctuary zone before collecting. The designated one-square-mile Western Dry Rocks area is closed to all fishing April 1–July 31 annually.

Can it be speared?

No. Spears are not authorized recreational gear for this regulated marine-life fish. Only lawful live-collection methods may be used, such as permitted hand-held, barrier or drop nets or a slurp gun. The live-landing requirement still applies.

Is it safe to eat?

Not recommended as a food target. This fish is regulated for live collection, and this guide does not certify it as safe to eat. Check Florida DOH guidance before consuming locally caught fish. Cooking does not remove all marine toxins. Small size, an absence of a specific advisory, and lawful collection do not establish food safety.

Before you act: This recreational overview is not permission to collect or spear at your dive site. Confirm the species, date, management area, state or federal waters, gear, licenses and current local closures. Identification artwork cannot establish an identification or guarantee seafood safety.

Official rules and health guidance

Reviewed 2026-11-10. Rules and advisories can change; check the linked authorities before harvesting or eating.

Sources and review

Reviewed 2026-11-10.

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