The dorsal fins have short horizontal stripes and the body is pale brownish-grey in colour with darker mottling.

[2] Arrow gobies are found along the Pacific Coast of North America, from the Rivers Inlet in British Columbia to Baja California.

[1] The arrow goby occurs in sand or mud substrates, where it uses burrows created by invertebrates as shelters when it is threatened and as a refuge at low tide.

[1] Some of the species which make burrows used by arrow gobies include the shrimps Neotrypaea californiensis and Upogebia pugettensis and the fat innkeeper worm Urechis caupo.

[2] The generic name Clevelandia honours the lawyer Daniel Cleveland (1838–1929), who was a founder and president of the San Diego Natural History Society and who made significant contributions to the knowledge of the flora and fauna of southern California.