FishCommonVisible while snorkeling

Magnus' prawn-goby

Amblyeleotris sungami

The alert doorman of the sand flats: Magnus' prawn-goby guards the entrance in its orange bands while its shrimp flatmate toils underground.

Photo: iNaturalist – (c) Rafi Amar, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Rafi Amar

Magnus' prawn-goby (Amblyeleotris sungami) is one of the most characteristic little sentries of the Red Sea's sandy bottoms: its pale, pearly body is crossed by four or five broad orange-red bands, it grows slightly larger than the related Steinitz' goby, and its bands run warmer in tone. The first specimens were described from the Red Sea itself, so watching it at Hurghada means meeting the species in its "home town".

It too belongs to the famous goby–pistol shrimp alliance: the Alpheus shrimp builds and maintains the shared burrow while the goby hovers at the entrance scanning the neighbourhood. Communication works by touch – the shrimp's antenna rests constantly on the fish's tail, and the goby signals with subtle flicks. When the goby starts backing up, the shrimp already knows it is time to disappear. The tunnel collapses or is sealed overnight, and each morning the shrimp digs it all out again – they literally get a new house every day.

Around Hurghada it lives on the open sand between the reefs, typically from a few metres down. Gliding slowly over a sand plateau on a dive you can find whole "streets" of burrows, each with its own goby on guard duty. Approach calmly and slowly and it will let you within arm's reach – one of the best species for practising a diver's patience.

Did you know?

The scientific name "sungami" is actually a puzzle: read backwards it spells "Magnus" – the describer's way of smuggling in the name of Dov Magnus, who first studied these gobies at the Red Sea.

Where can you meet it?

Look for it on the sand strips between the reefs: it is a frequent sight on the sand of Abu Hashish bay, the plateau of Gota Abu Ramada and in the lagoon of Shaab Sabina.

Frequently asked questions

At first glance they are twins, but Magnus' goby is slightly larger and its bands are orange-red, while Steinitz' goby wears more brownish bars. The two species often live on the very same sand flat a few metres apart – comparing them is great eye training.

Stay flat and low, inching forward centimetre by centimetre, avoiding sudden moves and bubbles blown its way. If it vanishes, do not give up: hold still and it will poke its head out again within a minute or two – curiosity is strong in gobies too.

In shallow lagoons such as Shaab Sabina yes, although from the surface it looks like a tiny dot. If you can duck-dive a few metres and hover calmly for a few seconds, the encounter works on snorkel too.