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Species: Gonodactylellus affinis

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Click on any image to see an enlargement. All photos © 2005 Roy Caldwell.

Common name: None

Functional type: Smasher

Range: Tahiti to Australia and Thailand

Habitat: Coral rubble and LR

Depth: 3–50 m; common below 10 m

Home: Cavities in coral rubble and LR

Diet: Very small crustaceans and gastropods; picks macro-plankton from water column

Size: 7–35 mm, usually less than 25 mm

Color: Variable; usually mottled green and cream above 15 m, red or red and cream deeper; meral spot white

Distinguishing Characters: Light band extending across anterior telson and uropods; pointed white eyes; sexually dimorphic with large males having inflated median carina

Activity: Diurnal

Aquarium Requirements:

Temperature: 23–28° C

Salinity: 34–35 PSU

Cohabitants: Will eat only the smallest crustaceans and gastropods

Aquarium size (adult): 10 l

Aquarium substrate: Cavity in coral rubble or LR

Suitability for Aquarium: Good; rarely leaves cavity

Availability: Rare; occasional hitchhiker in LR from Tonga, Fiji and Indonesia

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External Anatomy and Explanatory Notes