Identification
Males in the original description have an elongated black patch in the spiny dorsal fin, and specimens usually have 16 pectoral-fin rays. These features were used together to distinguish the species from similar gobies. The description includes it in a key to coarse-scaled western Atlantic Gobionellus.
Sources: Two New Western Atlantic Species of the Gobiid Fish Genus Gobionellus
Taxonomic context
Subsequent classifications differ over its status. FishBase treats the name as a synonym of Ctenogobius claytonii, whereas the database catalog retains Gobionellus atripinnis. The original-description range given here refers specifically to the fish described under atripinnis, rather than silently combining all records of the broader synonymized species.
Guide sources
Research reviewed 2026-10-19.
- Two New Western Atlantic Species of the Gobiid Fish Genus Gobionellus — Northeast Gulf Science / University of Southern Mississippi
- Gobionellus atripinnis synonym record — FishBase
