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Kuna Goby

Coryphopterus kuna

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Original side-profile illustration of Kuna Goby (Coryphopterus kuna); look for a very small translucent goby with orange blotches and fine black spots.
Original identification illustration of Kuna Goby. Features may vary.

Fun facts for your next surface interval

  • A kuna goby can be fully grown at about the length of a small fingernail.
  • Its eye wears two rows of tiny dark dots.
  • The species received its scientific description in 2007, long after many larger Caribbean reef fishes.

Florida and local context

Lake Worth Lagoon, Palm Beach County, Florida: The exact species row in the Florida Museum Lake Worth Lagoon checklist is marked verified, rather than merely listed as potentially occurring.

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

Look for a very small translucent goby with orange blotches and fine black spots. Two rows of tiny black dots cross the top of each eye, and a short dark bar descends toward the rear of the upper jaw. The first dorsal has a black upper-front tip and rows of dots. There is no conspicuous dark marking at the tail base.

Size and life stages

The Smithsonian account gives a maximum length of about 2.5 cm (1.0 inches). Its reported depth envelope is about 2.5–53 m. 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

Sandy substrate around reefs is the documented habitat. At such a small size, the fish can resemble a translucent fleck among grains, shell fragments and bits of rubble. A careful slow look at the edge of a reef is more productive than moving sand. The Smithsonian distribution dataset includes Florida records, and the museum checklist provides a separate Palm Beach verification.

Range and local context

The documented regional range is Florida through the southern Caribbean. The exact species row in the Florida Museum Lake Worth Lagoon checklist is marked verified, rather than merely listed as potentially occurring. These records establish geographic occurrence, not abundance or a guaranteed encounter at a particular dive site.

What is on the menu?

The Smithsonian record lists small mobile crustaceans, detritus and benthic microalgae. This is a mixed bottom-feeding diet rather than specialized parasite cleaning. The fish’s minute size sets the scale of the food items: most individual bites cannot be resolved by a diver. Watch the fish without disturbing the thin surface layer in which it forages.

Daily habits and behavior

Its small body and transparency make the patterned eyes and dorsal fin particularly valuable identification clues. Several pale internal blotches can show through along the vertebral column. The species was formally described in 2007, so older broad labels for tiny sand gobies may not recognize it. A small size does not by itself mean the fish is a juvenile.

Mating and the next generation

Benthic eggs and pelagic larvae are recorded. The sources checked do not establish a local reproductive season, age at maturity or typical clutch size. The species’ relatively recent formal description is not a reason to borrow those missing figures from better-known gobies. A photograph of two nearby individuals also does not demonstrate a reproductive pair.

Look-alikes and identification traps

Kuna goby can be confused with other pale Coryphopterus. Check the dotted upper eye, orange body blotches, black front-dorsal tip and unmarked tail base as a group. It lacks the gold shoulder ocellus of goldspot goby and the paired dark pectoral dots of colon goby. Technical ray counts supplement, rather than replace, a clear field photograph.

Observe without disturbing

Use a stable hovering position and keep the lens off the sand. A macro view of the eye and first dorsal can preserve tiny marks that are invisible in a wide-angle frame. Never scoop the bottom or place the fish in a container for a better photograph. When the marks cannot be resolved, record a small Coryphopterus rather than guessing.

Harvest, protection and eating safety

Restricted marine life: live collection only; no spearing

Can it be hunted or harvested?

Kuna Goby (Coryphopterus kuna) 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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