Trichonotus is a genus of marine gobiiform fishes. Species of Trichonotus are distributed throughout the Indo-West Pacific. This genus is the only member of the family Trichonotidae and of the suborder Trichonotoidei. They are considered the sister group to the gobies (Gobioidei).
Description Trichonotus species have jutting lower jaws, five soft rays, and single pelvic spines. In males, the anterior rays on their dorsal fins may be extended. Their lateral lines run along the middle flank. On the back end of the lateral line scales is a deep, V-shaped notch. The type species is Trichonotus setiger.
Species There are currently 10 recognized species in this genus: Trichonotus arabicus J. E. Randall & A. B. Tarr, 1994 (Arabian sand-diver) Trichonotus blochii Castelnau, 1875 (Bloch's sand-diver) Katayama, E. & Endo, H. (2010): Redescription of a Sanddiver, Trichonotus blochii (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Trichonotidae), with Confirmation of Its Validity. Species Diversity, 15 (1): 1-10. Trichonotus cyclograptus Alcock, 1890 (Bengal sand-diver) Trichonotus elegans Shimada & Yoshino, 1984 (Long-rayed sand-diver) Trichonotus filamentosus Steindachner, 1867 Trichonotus halstead E. Clark & Pohle, 1996 (Gold-bar sand-diver) Trichonotus marleyi J. L. B. Smith, 1936 Trichonotus nikii E. Clark & K. von Schmidt, 1966 Trichonotus setiger Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801 (Spotted sand-diver) Trichonotus somaliensis Katayama, Motomura & Endo, 2012 (Somalian sand-diver) Katayama, E., Motomura, H. & Endo, H. (2012): A new species of Trichonotus (Perciformes: Trichonotidae) from Somalia and redescription of Trichonotus cyclograptus (Alcock, 1890) with designation of a lectotype. Zootaxa, 3565: 31-43.
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