A new species of sponge-dwelling Elacatinus (Pisces: Gobiidae) from the western Caribbean

Abstract

A new species of sponge-dwelling goby, Elacatinus lori, is described from Belize and Roatan Island, Honduras. It is distinguished from congeners by a terminal mouth position, thin white lateral stripe from the eye to the caudal peduncle and a thin white bar on the snout. It is the only shallow water sponge-dwelling Elacatinus in the Gulf of Honduras, appears to be endemic to that region, and has a mutually exclusive distribution from its apparent closest relatives.