The sand darters, were formerly considered to be a

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

the Kraemeriidae, but recent research has placed the nine species formerly classified under the Kraemeriidae as belonging to the family

Gobiidae Gobiidae or gobies is a family of bony fish in the order Gobiiformes, one of the largest fish families comprising more than 2,000 species in more than 200 genera. Most of gobiid fish are relatively small, typically less than in length, and the ...

, although the researchers do not define the taxonomic status of this grouping within that family. These fish are Indo-Pacific, being native to the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

to the central

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

. They live in sandy shallow pools and are found among coral. One species is restricted to fresh waters of

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. In breeding coloration the male fish has an occelated spot at the rear of the first dorsal fin. Molecular analyses have placed the Kraemeriidae within the

References

Gobiiformes Ray-finned fish families {{Gobiiformes-stub