the species in the butidae are largely restricted to tropical and sub-tropical waters of africa, asia, australia, and oceania. they are especially diverse in new guinea, australia and new zealand where they can be important components of brackish and freshwater ecosystems. they are mostly quite small species but the marbled goby ("oxyeleotris marmorata") is a freshwater species of buitdae from southeast asia that can grow to long and is an important food fish.