The species epithet honours the American ichthyologist William A. Gosline (1915-2002) of the University of Hawaiʻi.

The biting blenny has two large canines on its bottom jaw.

[6] The biting blenny is found in coral reefs in Hawaii and in the eastern central Pacific Ocean.

It consists of mucus, scales, and skin tissue of larger fish,[3] shrimp, small crustaceans, worms, zooplankton, and fish eggs.

[2] The biting blenny is currently stable and abundant around the warm waters surrounding the Hawaiian Islands.