Mahidolia mystacina

Mahidolia mystacina, the flagfin prawn goby,^[2][1] flagfin shrimpgoby^[2] or smiling goby,^[2] is a species of goby native to the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean from Delagoa Bay, Mozambique to the Society Islands and from southern Japan to Samoa and northern Australia. This species occurs in marine and brackish waters, being found in coastal bays, estuaries and reef bases where the bottom is silty or muddy at depths of from 5 to 25 metres (16 to 82 ft). This species is a commensal with a species of alpheid shrimp, using its burrow as its home. This species can reach a length of 8 centimetres (3.1 in) TL. This species can also be found in the aquarium trade.^[2] It was first discovered at the mouth of the Chanthaburi River, Amphoe Laem Sing, Chanthaburi Province, Eastern Thailand by H. M. Smith.^[3]

Mahidolia mystacina
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Gobiiformes
Family:	Gobiidae
Genus:	Mahidolia
Species:	M. mystacina
Binomial name
Mahidolia mystacina (Valenciennes, 1837)
Synonyms
Gobius mystacinus Valenciennes, 1837 Waitea mystacina (Valenciennes, 1837) Gobius pulverulentus Kuhl & van Hasselt, 1837 Mahidiolia normani H. M. Smith & Koumans, 1932 Mahidiolia duque J. L. B. Smith, 1947 Waitea buchanani Visweswara Rao, 1972