Glossogobius illimis
One of Australia and New Guinea’s largest and most taxonomically active goby genera, Glossogobius (“Flathead Gobies” or “Tank Gobies”) includes some of the region’s largest and most commonly encountered freshwater gobies, several only formally described within the last two decades.
Formerly known informally as “Glossogobius sp. 1,” Glossogobius illimis occurs in north-eastern Queensland from the Lockhart River to Townsville, as well as the Buckingham River in the Northern Territory and the Embley River on Cape York/the Gulf. It reaches about 14 cm. Its species name, from the Latin illimis, “without mud,” refers to its preference for clear-water habitat. It has also been photographed under the name “False Celebes Goby” in Cairns-area creeks.
Compiled for Home of the Rainbowfish from ANGFA sources: Anonymous, “Glossogobius illimis”, In-Stream 23, 2014, pp. 12–13 (citing D. F. Hoese & G. R. Allen, “New species and a review of the *Glossogobius celebius* species complex (Teleostei: Gobiidae)”, Cybium 35, 2011, pp. 269–284); J. Lenagan, “Cairns to Weipa and back, through a new lens: Part 2. Gobioides of the Wet Tropics”, Fishes of Sahul 34, 2020, pp. 1642–1657.