Barber Goby Elacatinus figaro and Montastrea cavernosa reef coral, Abrolhos, Bahia Brazil.

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Elacatinus is a genus of small marine gobies, often known collectively as the neon gobies. Although only one species, E. oceanops, is technically the "neon goby," because of their similar appearance, other members of the genus are generally labeled neon gobies, as well. Except for a single East Pacific species, all reside in warmer parts of the West Atlantic, including the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. They are known for engaging in symbiosis with other marine creatures by providing them cleaning service that consists of getting rid of ectoparasites on their bodies. In return, Elacatinus obtain their primary source of food, ectoparasites Elacatinus figaro I. Sazima (fr), R. L. Moura & R. de S. Rosa, 1997 (Barber goby)

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Size: 3565px × 2377px
Location: Abrolhos, Bahia, Brazil
Photo credit: © Leo Francini / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: abrolhos, area, bahia, barber, brazil, cavernosa, cleaning, close, coral, dos, elacatinus, figaro, fish, gobies, goby, macro, marine, marinho, montastrea, nacional, national, neon, park, parque, protected, reef, small, station, symbiosis, underwater