| Grass goby | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Gobiiformes |
| Family: | Gobiidae |
| Genus: | Zosterisessor Whitley, 1935 |
| Species: | Z. ophiocephalus |
| Binomial name | |
| Zosterisessor ophiocephalus (Pallas, 1814) | |
| Synonyms | |
Genus
Species | |
The grass goby (Zosterisessor ophiocephalus) is a species of goby native to the Mediterranean Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. It is the only known member of its genus. [2]
Grass gobies can grow up to 25 cm (9.8 in) long. The head crown, nape, throat, belly, and bases of the pectoral fins are covered by cycloid scales [3] and the gill covers are naked. The abdominal sucker has no blades and does not reach the anus. The mandibulae are protrusive, and the skin soft, with mucus. Their coloration is green-brown, patterned with merging brown spots. The cheeks have round light spots. The dorsal, caudal, and pectoral fins have longitudinal brown stripes on a light background; the anal and abdominal suckers are dark.
Widespread in coastal waters of all seas of the Mediterranean basin, they are especially numerous in the northern Adriatic Sea, Venetian Lagoon, and Sète Lagoon (France) and in the Black Sea near all coasts, especially in lagoons and estuaries of the north-west, Varna and Burgas Bays, Sea of Azov, and Sivash.
Until age two, grass gobies feed only on crustaceans, after which they start to eat fish. In Tuzly Lagoons, they first feed on gammarids Gammarus lacustris (94%), and Idotea balthica (6%) [4] followed by fish like the big-scale sand smelt (30%) and gobies (36%). Shrimp Palaemon adspersus also play an important role.[ citation needed ]
On the Crimean coasts, the grass goby hosts about 27 parasite species. [5] The acanthocephalans Acanthocephaloides propinquus are most numerous. In the northwestern Black Sea, this fish has 13 parasite species. [6] [7] Except for A. propinquus, the acanthocephalan Telosentis exiguus , is very numerous. Both are Mediterranean immigrants as is the grass goby itself. The Ponto-Caspian cestodes Proteocephalus gobiorum and monogeneans Gyrodactylus proterorhini are also numerous. In the Budaki Lagoon, the grass goby is a host of larvae of epizootic nematode Streptocara crassicauda.
The grass goby is eaten by some commercial fishes, such as the toad goby. [8] In the Sea of Azov, it is used for food by the harbour porpoise. [9]
The grass goby is a commercial fish in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, the Molochnyi Estuary, Tuzly Lagoons, and in the Sivash.
In Venetian cuisine, it is known as pesce gò or ghiozzo, and is the basis for the dish risotto di gò (rixoto de gò in Venetian) or risotto di Burano . [10]
Gobiidae or gobies is a family of bony fish in the order Gobiiformes, one of the largest fish families comprising more than 2,000 species in more than 200 genera. Most of gobiid fish are relatively small, typically less than 10 cm (3.9 in) in length, and the family includes some of the smallest vertebrates in the world, such as Trimmatom nanus and Pandaka pygmaea, Trimmatom nanus are under 1 cm long when fully grown, then Pandaka pygmaea standard length are 9 mm (0.35 in), maximum known standard length are 11 mm (0.43 in). Some large gobies can reach over 30 cm (0.98 ft) in length, but that is exceptional. Generally, they are benthic or bottom-dwellers. Although few are important as food fish for humans, they are of great significance as prey species for other commercially important fish such as cod, haddock, sea bass and flatfish. Several gobiids are also of interest as aquarium fish, such as the dartfish of the genus Ptereleotris. Phylogenetic relationships of gobiids have been studied using molecular data.
The round goby is a euryhaline bottom-dwelling species of fish of the family Gobiidae. It is native to Central Eurasia, including the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Round gobies have established large non-native populations in the Baltic Sea, several major Eurasian rivers, and the North American Great Lakes.
Mesogobius batrachocephalus, the knout goby or toad goby, is one of the species of gobiid fish native to the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov basins. It lives in estuaries and brackish water lagoons, occasionally in fresh waters, such as the coastal Lake Siutghiol in Romania. It prefers areas near cliffs with sandy, shelly or rocky substrates at depths of from 20 to 60 metres, sometimes down to 100 metres (330 ft). The knout goby is a piscivore. It can reach a length of 34.5 centimetres (13.6 in) SL and weight of 600 grams (1.3 lb). Maximum known age is eight years.
The monkey goby is a species of goby native to the basins of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
The racer goby is a species of goby native to fresh, sometimes brackish, waters, of the Black Sea basin. It is a Ponto-Caspian relict species. The species is placed a monotypic genus, Babka, which was once considered a subgenus of genus Neogobius, but was then elevated to genus-status based on the molecular analysis.
Ponticola kessleri, the bighead goby or Kessler's goby, is a species of goby native to Eurasia. The bighead goby is a Ponto-Caspian relict species. It inhabits the fresh and oligohaline waters, with mineralisation from 0-0.5‰ up to 1.5-3.0‰.
Proterorhinus marmoratus is a species of gobiid fish, a tubenose goby native to the brackish water parts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, near the coasts of Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Ukraine and Russia. Also it is found in the Marmora Sea (Turkey). It can reach a length of 11.5 centimetres (4.5 in) TL.
Arhythmacanthidae is a family of parasitic worms from the order Echinorhynchida.
Leptorhynchoididae is a family of parasitic worms from the order Echinorhynchida.
Venetian cuisine, from the city of Venice, Italy, or more widely from the region of Veneto, has a centuries-long history and differs significantly from other cuisines of northern Italy, and of neighbouring Austria and of Slavic countries, despite sharing some commonalities.
The western tubenose goby is a species of goby native to fresh waters of the Black Sea and Aegean Sea basins. It has recently spread as an invasive species to Central and Western Europe and to North America. Previously Proterorhinus semilunaris was considered as a junior synonym of Proterorhinus marmoratus, but was confirmed as a distinct species based on molecular analysis.
Tylihul Estuary also called Tylihulskyi lyman or simply Tiligul is a Ramsar listed government protected estuary or liman of the Tylihul River. Located in Odesa Oblast in the south of Ukraine, the estuary includes an ornithological game reserve and the Tylihulskyi Regional Landscape Park situated on the East coast.
The tadpole-gobies (Benthophilus), also called pugolovkas, are a genus of Ponto-Caspian fishes in the family Gobiidae.
The stellate tadpole-goby is a species of gobiid fish native to the basin of the Sea of Azov where it occurs in the Gulf of Taganrog and limans of the eastern coast. It also lives in the lower Don River up to the Tsimlyansk Reservoir. It occurs in fresh and brackish waters of depths greater than 3 metres (9.8 ft), preferring shallow coastal lagoons and lowland rivers. Males can reach a length of 13.5 centimetres (5.3 in) TL while females only reach 11 centimetres (4.3 in) TL.
Pinchuk's goby is a species of goby native to the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
The flatsnout goby is a species of goby endemic to the Black Sea where it is mostly known from inshore waters amongst rocks and boulders. It is occasionally found offshore over areas with gravel substrates. This species can reach a length of 22.5 centimetres (8.9 in) TL.
The Benthophilinae are a subfamily of gobies endemic to the Ponto-Caspian region. The subfamily includes about 50 species. The representatives of the subfamily have fused pelvic fins and elongated dorsal and anal fins. They are distinguished from the closely related subfamily Gobiinae by the absence of a swimbladder in adults and location of the uppermost rays of the pectoral fins within the fin membrane.
The chestnut goby is a species of goby found in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. In the Black Sea it is found in the Gulf of Varna, saline lagoons near Abrau, also near Novorossiysk and Sochi. This species occurs in shallow, coastal waters. It can reach a length of 6.6 centimetres (2.6 in) SL.
Telosentis exiguus is a widespread intestinal parasitic worm. Its hosts are marine and brackish water fish of the Mediterranean basin.
Caspiosoma caspium is a species of Ponto-Caspian goby native to the deltas of rivers inflows to the north-western Black Sea: Dnieper up to Berislav, also in the Dnieper-Bug Estuary and Berezan Estuary, Danube, Dniester with the estuary, Cuciurgan Reservoir. Found in the delta of the Don River, Volga, central and northern parts of the Caspian Sea and rivers flowing into the Sea of Azov. It can be found at depths of from 2 to 8 metres. This species can reach a length of 4.5 centimetres (1.8 in) TL. It is currently the only known member of its genus.
