Common names:

* proposed name

Synonyms:

Etymology:
'Boleophthalmus' is from the Greek metaphorical expression 'bolê ophthalmôn' (quick glances), which refers to the rapid movements of the eyes, or to the 'blinking' behaviour

'caeruleomaculatus' means 'pale blue-spotted' in Latin, with reference to the numerous speckles on trunk and head

Maximum recorded length:
162 mm SL (Murdy, 1989)

Live colouration (pers. obs.: Papua New Guinea):
body background colour greenish brown on head, dorsum and flanks, ventrally bluish grey, darker behind anus and on throat; head and trunk with numerous small sky blue, iridescent speckles. D1 greenish with numerous bluish white spots, distally paler; D2 membrane greenish, with columns of sky blue spots between elements; caudal fin greenish grey with series of sky blue spots; anal fin hyaline, proximally darker; pectoral fins dusky; basal portions of pectoral rays dark grey; muscular bases of pectoral fins ventrally dark grey, dorsally greenish brown with sky blue speckles; pelvic fins dark bluish grey, proximally darker

Colouration on preservation (Murdy, 1989):
ground colour brown to grey, with numerous, small, dusky spots on cheeks, opercula, nape and dorsal to pectoral fins. D1 dusky with whitish mottling, distally transparent with dusky margin; D2 brown with columns of blue or brown dash marks on membrane; caudal fin dark brown with series of blue or brown spots on membrane; anal fin proximally dusky, white for the rest; pectoral and pelvic fins dark brown

Diagnosis (Murdy, 1989):
total elements of D2 24-28; total elements of anal fin 24-27; longitudinal scale count 90-136; predorsal scales 30-53; caudal fin length 18.5-22.7%SL; head length 27.0-29.8%SL; length of D2 base 43.2-47.9%SL; 1st D2 element usually segmented and unbranched; lower jaw teeth notched (bifid); eyes' dermal cups sky blue.
Species-specific sexual dimorphism: last two D1 spines more elongated in females (pers. obs.).
The genus is characterised by the greatly thickened epidermis of the head and dorsum, covered by dermal papillae; and by a rectangular piece of cartilage spanning the width of the pelvic girdle (see drawing)

Diet:
no published study is available. However, it presents the typical feeding behaviour of other congeneric species (pers. obs.)

Reproduction:
the details of its life cycle have not been described, but are probably similar to those of congeneric species (see Reproductive behaviour and B. pectinirostris); no published study is available

Ecological notes (pers. obs.: Papua New Guinea):
locally very abundant in front of the pneumatophore zone of mangrove forests and on mudflats

middle: Sisikura Is., Fly river delta, Papua New Guinea: forest marine fringe and adjacent mudflat at low tide; here several specimens were found (photo: G. Polgar, 2007)

Distribution:
northern Australia (WA, NT, QLD) and Papua New Guinea; type locality: Adelaide river, Australia, NT (Murdy, 1989)

Photographs of Boleophthalmus caeruleomaculatus:

A: a male of B. caeruleomaculatus: note the lack of elongated spines in D1 (photo: G. Polgar, 2007); B: the main entrance of a burrow in front of the pneumatophore zone, nearby a formation of Avicennia sp. (photo: G. Polgar, 2007); C-F: photos of a specimen in aquarium (photos A-F: collected in Sisikura Is., Fly river delta, Papua New Guinea, 2007)

Drawings of Boleophthalmus caeruleomaculatus:

above, left: cephalic sensory and nasal pores of Boleophthalmus spp.: an= anterior nostril; ao= anterior oculoscapular canal pore; pn= posterior nostril (modified from Murdy, 1989)*; above, right: ventral view of pelvis of B. boddarti (pelvic fin elements removed from left side: modified from Murdy, 1989): PIC= pelvic intercleithral cartilage; Plv= pelvis; RC= rectangular cartilage; Plsp= pelvic fin spine* - * with permission