About Bryaninops yongei (Davis & Cohen, 1969)
Commonly known as the whip coral goby, Bryaninops yongei has a semi-transparent head and body, with white scales running along its vertebra. Its head ranges in color from reddish-brown to violet, and its eyes are pink to violet-red. The species' coloration is noted to match the color of the coral it inhabits. Adult whip coral gobies are approximately 3 to 3.5 centimeters long. Healthy individuals have seven dorsal spines, seven dorsal soft rays, one anal spine, and seven anal soft rays. They also have cup-like pelvic fins, and their gills open below the base of the pectoral fins. Confirmed populations of the whip coral goby are found around the Marshall Islands, Chagos Archipelago, and Samoa. This species lives in and around stinging coral, and most often lives in heterosexual pairs associated with the wire coral species Cirrhipathes anguina (family Antipathidae), at depths between 3 and 45 metres (9.8 and 147.6 ft). It is also sold in the aquarium trade. Whip coral gobies reproduce via benthic spawning, a process where eggs and sperm are released for external fertilization. They can also change their sex to correct a gender imbalance within a pair.
