• Location: Romblon Island

  • Depth: shallow / medium depth

  • Cover Photo: Wolfgang Holz

  • Scientific Name: Paragobiodon echinocephalus (Rüppell, 1830)

The Redhead Goby (Paragobiodon echinocephalus) has a black body that is covered in soft, short bristles with a red-orange head. Redhead Gobies may live in a coral singly, in pairs or in groups with large corals generally hosting larger groups of fish. They rely on their coral host for food, shelter from predators and breeding sites. Like many reef fishes, Redhead Gobies are capable of changing from male to female, But unlike most sequential hermaphrodites, who change only once during their lifetime, Paragobiodon echinocephalus can change it repeatedly in either direction. Multiple changes from female to male or male to female were first described in this species.