Trimma sostra, or Sostra Pygmy Goby. http://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=62052

Anyone ever heard of them? Know anything about their personality?

I'm most curious to know what niche they occupy. I'm looking to stock my tank with tiny gobies and want to try to avoid direct competition for space. I've got a flaming prawn goby which sticks to the substrate and hides in caves. My LFS is trying to get ahold of Trimma tevegae, which I understand spends more time in the water column. Does anyone know if this fish would compete for those spaces?

I guess I'm hoping that they like to perch on corals and rocks like eviotas seem to. I like the look of these a bit better than the eviotas I've seen. Apparently I'm a sucker for tall dorsal fins.

Any info or resources would be appreciated. Google isn't telling me much of anything. Thanks!

They act the same as eviotas, perching on rocks and aren't too territorial. They do sit on the substrate from time to time too just like eviotas, so that may cause some issues with your flaming prawn goby every so often.

Thanks organism, that's really helpful!

I've never seen them for sale. Some of the other Trimma species (T. rubromaculatus and T. cana) are listed on liveaquaria. It may be difficult to find them since they were first identified in 2004; although T. cana was also identified in that year. Try searching for Richard Winterbottom's other articles (especially the one where he first identified T. sostra) on Trimmas to maybe get a sense of what T. sostra may do.

Here's one article:
http://reefhobbyistmagazine.com/downloads/pdf/version5.pdf
You may also want to send a PM to wombat, matt wandell's username on this site.

Another good article on both trimmas and eviotas is in the July/August 2009 edition of reef life magazine, which unfortunately is not publishing anymore.

Thanks for the Reef Hobbiest article. I've actually read it a couple of times when you've posted it for other people. It's part of why I'm so interested in trimmas.

I've seen the T. cana and T. rubromaculatus on liveaquaria. I like them, but I like seeing what other species are out there. From what I've heard, a lot of different Trimma species make it to wholesalers in CA and get sent to LFSs without making it into the online market. I saw T. sostra for sale at an east coast retailer, which prompted the question. I was excited to find a species I hadn't come across yet.

Now I'm off to look for Winterbottom articles. Yay research.

Yup, that's pretty much how it goes with those. For some reason no local online shops buy them even though most of the demand is online, but I've shipped a ton of trimma gobies out to east coast and midwest walk-in stores over the last few months. We had twenty or so sostras too, friendly little fish as far as those go.

edit - I work at a wholesaler, not a retailer.

Catch any photos of it? First I've ever heard of it being sold. Based on the long dorsal fin I'd guess it hangs out in the water, just because T. tevegae and T. taylori share the same trait. But who knows! Excited to see photos and hear about its care if you do pick one or a few up.

Sadly, the sostra died at the store while I was deciding whether or not to purchase it. They said they got it by accident and don't expect to get any more in.

Oh well... hopefully I'll come across them again eventually. Stores really need to stock more tiny gobies in general. They are annoyingly hard to get ahold of.

reef life should refund me my monies!