Authors David W. Greenfield, William M. Brooks, and Mark V. Erdmann recently published the description of a new species, Eviota kathyae, a new dwarfgoby from the unique volcanic fjords of Tufi, Papua New Guinea (Teleostei: Gobiidae), in Volume 46 of the Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. This new species description, along with the subsequent and most recent description of Eviota nidenthali, brings the running total of dwarfgoby species to 139. And there is simply no end in sight!
The authors note that the unique volcanic fjords in this region have created “a complex marine environment that is highly protected from wave energy,” resulting in “extensive, but delicate, lagoonal coral formations.” This is already the second new Eviota species to be described from this area, the first being “Eviota vader Greenfield, Erdmann & Ichida, 2025, collected during a reef-fish biodiversity survey of the region in March 2025.” The researchers allude to the possibility that many more unique and potentially new species were encountered, and that there may even be new endemic species awaiting formal description.
Named for Kathryn (Kathy) Uhrig Kimball, the life partner of author William M. Brooks, Kathy’s Dwarfgoby is so far known only from “within the volcanic fjords of Tufi, where it occurs at depths of 32–40 m (105–131 feet).” With the mature specimens used in the description measuring just 11.4 to 15.2 mm standard length (SL), these are truly tiny fish, which helps explain how they can easily go overlooked. The work to find these proverbial needles in the haystack is therefore quite intentional, described by the scientists as “a process that included intensive, targeted Eviota searches, in situ photography, specimen collection with handnets and clove oil, and preservation for eventual museum deposition. Live photography is particularly useful for recording the eye-coloration pattern, which is an important diagnostic tool for this genus (Greenfield 2017).”
Perhaps the best part of all this is that these researchers continue to share their work through open-access publishing platforms, allowing you to read the entire, fascinating stories for free! I encourage you to dive deeper and learn all about Kathy’s Dwarf Goby!
Reference
Greenfield D.W., Brooks, W.M. & Erdmann, M.V. (2026) Eviota kathyae, a new dwarfgoby from the unique volcanic fjords of Tufi, Papua New Guinea (Teleostei: Gobiidae). Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation, 46, 1-8.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18746737
