 One individual was photographed in Palau, and on January 13, 2005 one was caught in the lagoon of Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands.This animal had only 9 soft rays in its dorsal fin instead of the normal 10, a congenital abnormality known to occasionally occur in gobies and other fish.Members of this species used to be assigned to the widespread species "Exyrias belissimus" but it differs from that species in a number of respects, notably in the very long dorsal fin spines and the paler coloration with numerous yellow or orange spots on all parts.