The species is widespread or without major threats throughout the central Africa assessment region and is assessed as Least Concern.

Central Africa assessment: Periophthalmus barbarus is known from Boma, Banana, Bulabemba and Malela, Lower Congo River. It is also known from Vista and Moanda on the coast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Elsewhere, it is distributed along the West African coast, from Senegal to Angola, and on the islands of the Gulf of Guinea.

No information available.

Periophthalmus barbarus is found on muddy substrates and in brackish waters of estuaries, lagoons, and mangrove swamps (Stiassny et al. 2007). It is found occasionally in freshwater, but always close to the coast (Stiassny et al. 2007). It is a reef-associated and amphidromous species (Reide 2004). Periophthalmus barbarus is an amphibious air-breather (Martin and Bridges 1999) that skips or walks on sand or mud in search of food; that is, on exposed intertidal mud flats of estuarine mangrove swamps. The adult feed chiefly on arthropods (crabs, insects, etc.) of the mud surface. Also included in the diet is the white mangrove, Avicennia nitida (Irvine 1947). They spawn in burrows (Miller 1981).

It is used in subsistence fisheries; and commercially harvested for the aquarium trade.

It is used in subsistence fisheries; and commercially harvested for the aquarium trade.

No information available.