The loach goby is one of the two species classified under the genus Rhyacichthys in the family Rhyacichthyidae.

The head is flattened vertically, with a snout and small eyes.

In colour, it is light brown, with darker, longitudinal stripes on its flanks.

Also, dark stripes occur on the dorsal, caudal, and pectoral fins.

[2] The loach goby lives in tropical waters between 24°N and 13°S, ranging from China and south Japan, through the Philippines and Indonesia, to New Guinea and the Solomons.