Palatogobius grandoculus is a species of marine fish in the family Gobiidae and the order Gobiiformes. Its name comes from the Latin word palatum (palate) which pertains to palate and its teeth which form there, plus the Latin word gobius, which means goby. The species name grandoculus (from the Latin words grand and oculus) refers to this species' very large eyes. Specimens of P. grandoculus were collected as early as 1976, and originally described as the Mauve Goby, however it was not formally identified as a separate species and described until 2002.