Valenciennea is a genus of small, bottom-dwelling fish in the family Gobiidae. They are found over sandy bottoms, often at coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific. The members of the genus tend to rest directly on the substrate for extended periods of time. While this is a common behavior for members of the family, this genus also float motionless directly above the substrate, which is why they are sometimes called glider gobies. Their resting behavior has resulted in the vernacular name "sleeper gobies", which invites confusion with the related family Eleotridae. The members of this genus are known to be carnivorous sand-sifters; to eat, they simply engulf entire mouthfuls of sand which they expel through their gills. Specialized structures in their gills filter small crustaceans and worms as the sand is expelled. It is this specific trait that makes some members of the genus attractive to the marine aquarist, and they are often introduced into a marine aquarium for sand-sifting. Some of the species are known to be monogamous. The genus was named after notable French zoologist Achille Valenciennes. These fish are difficult to keep in a tank. Tanks with plenty of live sand and live rock are recommended. Offer foods such as sinking shrimp pellets. Fish may die even if eating properly.
There are currently 16 recognized species in this genus:
| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valenciennea alleni Hoese & Larson, 1994 | Allen's glidergoby | from northern Australia, from Shark Bay, Western Australia to Decapolis Reef, Queensland. | |
| Valenciennea bella Hoese & Larson, 1994 | Bella goby | Okinawa, Japan and the Philippines. | |
| Valenciennea decora Hoese & Larson, 1994 | Decorated glidergoby | Australia, New Caledonia, and Fiji. | |
| Valenciennea helsdingenii (Bleeker, 1858) | Two-stripe goby | the coast of East Africa, the southern Red Sea, the Maldives, southeast India and Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, Australia, western Oceania, and Japan. | |
| Valenciennea immaculata (Y. Ni, 1981) | Red-lined sleepergoby | Taiwan, Macao, Hong Kong, Philippines, and from Western Australia to Sydney, New South Wales (Australia). | |
| Valenciennea limicola Hoese & Larson, 1994 | Mud goby | known only from Thailand and Fiji. Recorded from Bali, Indonesia | |
| Valenciennea longipinnis (Lay & E. T. Bennett, 1839) | Long-finned goby | the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean | |
| Valenciennea muralis (Valenciennes, 1837) | Mural goby | widely distributed in the eastern Indian Ocean and western tropical Pacific. | |
| Valenciennea parva Hoese & Larson, 1994 | Parva goby | Ashmore Reef, Maldives, and Seychelles to Oceania, north to Ryukyu Islands, south to the Great Barrier Reef. | |
| Valenciennea persica Hoese & Larson, 1994 | Persian Gulf to Masirah Island, central Oman. | ||
| Valenciennea puellaris (Tomiyama, 1956) | Maiden goby | the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. | |
| Valenciennea randalli Hoese & Larson, 1994 | Green-band goby | Ryukyu Islands, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Malaysia, Palau, Indonesia and the Great Barrier Reef. | |
| Valenciennea sexguttata (Valenciennes, 1837) | Six-spot goby | the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. | |
| Valenciennea strigata (Broussonet, 1782) | Blue-band goby | the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean | |
| Valenciennea wardii (Playfair (fr), 1867) | Ward's sleepergoby | the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean | |
| Valenciennea yanoi T. Suzuki, Senou & J. E. Randall, 2016 [1] | Japan | ||