Indo-Pacific: East Africa to Johnston, Marquesas and Tuamoto islands, north to southern Japan, south to the southern Great Barrier Reef and Rapa Islands; Marianas and Marshall Islands in Micronesia. Misidentified as Bathygobius fuscus in Hawaii.

6-8 elongate black spots on its mid sides which are mottled in females and have numerous longitudinal lines in males.

Lives among rubble, in sand pockets, or on reef rock and is abundant on silty intertidal reef flats.