{{Short description|Genus of fishes}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Cryptocentrus cinctus by OpenCage.jpg | image_caption = ''Cryptocentrus cinctus'' | taxon = Cryptocentrus | authority = Valenciennes, 1837 | type_species = ''Gobius cryptocentrus'' | type_species_authority = Valenciennes, 1837 | synonyms = ''Alepidogobius'' <small>Bleeker, 1874</small><br /> ''Batman'' <small>Whitley, 1956</small><br /> ''Iotogobius'' <small>Smith, 1959</small><br /> ''Mars'' <small>Jordan & Seale, 1906</small><br /> ''Obtortiophagus'' <small>Whitley, 1933</small><br /> ''Smilogobius'' <small>Herre, 1934</small> }}{{More citations needed|date=January 2021}}
'''''Cryptocentrus''''', also known as '''Watchman gobies''', and one of the genera known as '''shrimp gobies''' or '''prawn gobies''', is a genus of gobies native to tropical marine waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans.
==Species== There are currently 41 recognized species in this genus:<ref>{{Cof genus|genus=Cryptocentrus|access-date=1 October 2025}}</ref> * ''Cryptocentrus albidorsus'' <small>(Yanagisawa, 1978)</small> (White-backed shrimpgoby) * ''Cryptocentrus altipinna'' <small>Hoese, 2019</small> * ''Cryptocentrus bulbiceps'' <small>(Whitley, 1953)</small> (Bluelined shrimpgoby) * ''Cryptocentrus caeruleomaculatus'' <small>(Herre, 1933)</small> (Blue-speckled prawn-goby) * ''Cryptocentrus caeruleopunctatus'' <small>(Rüppell, 1830)</small> (Harlequin prawn-goby) * ''Cryptocentrus callopterus'' <small>H. M. Smith, 1945</small> * ''Cryptocentrus cebuanus'' <small>Herre, 1927</small> (Cebu shrimpgoby) * ''Cryptocentrus cinctus'' <small>(Herre, 1936)</small> (Yellow prawn-goby) * ''Cryptocentrus cryptocentrus'' <small>(Valenciennes, 1837)</small> (Ninebar prawn-goby) * ''Cryptocentrus cyanospilotus'' <small>G. R. Allen & J. E. Randall, 2011</small> (Bluespot shrimpgoby) * ''Cryptocentrus cyanotaenia'' <small>(Bleeker, 1853)</small> (Lagoon shrimpgoby) * ''Cryptocentrus diproctotaenia'' <small>Bleeker, 1876</small> * ''Cryptocentrus epakros'' <small>G. R. Allen, 2015</small> (Pointedfin shrimpgoby) <ref name=Allen2015>{{cite journal | author = Allen, G.R. | year = 2015 | title = Descriptions of two new species of shrimpgobies (Gobiidae: ''Cryptocentrus'' and ''Tomiyamichthys'') from Papua New Guinea | journal = Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation | volume = 16 | pages = 67–81 | url = http://www.oceansciencefoundation.org/josf/josf16c.pdf }}</ref> * ''Cryptocentrus fasciatus'' <small>(Playfair (fr), 1867)</small> (Y-bar shrimpgoby) * ''Cryptocentrus flavus'' <small>Yanagisawa, 1978</small> * ''Cryptocentrus haydeni'' <small>(Herre, 1936)</small> * ''Cryptocentrus inexplicatus'' <small>(Herre, 1934)</small> (Inexplicable shrimpgoby) * ''Cryptocentrus insignitus'' <small>(Whitley, 1956)</small> (Signal goby) * ''Cryptocentrus leonis'' <small>H. M. Smith, 1931</small> * ''Cryptocentrus leptocephalus'' <small>Bleeker, 1876</small> (Pink-speckled shrimpgoby) * ''Cryptocentrus leucostictus'' <small>(Günther, 1872)</small> (Saddled prawn-goby) * ''Cryptocentrus liolepis'' <small>Bleeker, 1876</small> * ''Cryptocentrus lutheri'' <small>Klausewitz, 1960</small> (Luther's prawn-goby) * ''Cryptocentrus malindiensis'' <small>(J. L. B. Smith, 1959)</small> * ''Cryptocentrus maudae'' <small>Fowler, 1937</small> (Maude's shrimpgoby) * ''Cryptocentrus melanopus'' <small>(Bleeker, 1860)</small> * ''Cryptocentrus multicinctus'' <small>G. R. Allen & J. E. Randall, 2011</small> (Multibarred shrimpgoby) * ''Cryptocentrus nanus'' <small>Greenfield & Allen, 2018</small> * ''Cryptocentrus nigrocellatus'' <small>(Yanagisawa, 1978)</small> * ''Cryptocentrus niveatus'' <small>(Valenciennes, 1837)</small> * ''Cryptocentrus pavoninoides'' <small>(Bleeker, 1849)</small> * ''Cryptocentrus pretiosus'' <small>(Rendahl (de), 1924)</small> * ''Cryptocentrus sericus'' <small>Herre, 1932</small> * ''Cryptocentrus shigensis'' <small>N. Kuroda, 1956</small> (Shige shrimpgoby) * ''Cryptocentrus steinhardti'' <small>Goren & Stern, 2021</small> * ''Cryptocentrus strigilliceps'' <small>(D. S. Jordan & Seale, 1906)</small> (Target shrimpgoby) * ''Cryptocentrus taiwanensis'' <small>Chen & Yang, 2024</small> * ''Cryptocentrus tentaculatus'' <small>Hoese & Larson, 2004</small> (Tentacle shrimpgoby) * ''Cryptocentrus venustus'' <small>Seale, 1914</small> * ''Cryptocentrus wehrlei'' <small>Fowler, 1937</small> * ''Cryptocentrus yatsui'' <small>Tomiyama, 1936</small>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q870074}}
Category:Cryptocentrus Category:Gobiinae Category:Marine fish genera Category:Taxa named by Achille Valenciennes
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