| Monkey goby | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Gobiiformes |
| Family: | Gobiidae |
| Genus: | Neogobius |
| Species: | N. fluviatilis |
| Binomial name | |
| Neogobius fluviatilis (Pallas, 1814) | |
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| The range of the Monkey goby | |
| Synonyms | |
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The monkey goby (Neogobius fluviatilis) is a species of goby native to the basins of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
The monkey goby is covered with cycloid scales on the head, nape, back, one third of the gill covers, bases of the pectoral fins, and the posterior half of the throat and belly. Its second dorsal fin is small in size compared to the posterior end of the body. The width of its head is equal to or a bit greater than the height of the head, and terminates in an acuminated, or leaf-shaped, snout. The jaws of Neogobius fluviatilis contain small, conical teeth and the mandibles are set forward in the skull. The abdomen of the monkey goby is lined with suckers that stretch from the collar to the anus. Its coloration is a brownish gray or a yellowish gray, usually with a very pale brown pattern of dark merged spots. Rows of dark spots are also found on the dorsal and caudal fins. The average adult monkey goby measures 7–10 centimeters, but has been known to grow to lengths of 18–20 centimeters. This species weighs around 50 grams.
The natural habitat of the monkey goby is the fresh and brackish waters of basins in the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. [2] In the basin of the Sea of Marmara, it is a common sight in Manyas, Sapanca, and the Kazoli River in Bosporus Strait. In the Black Sea and the surrounding areas, the monkey goby is common in all desalinated water including the Danube river and its tributaries, the lagoons and estuaries of the north-western part of the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, and the rivers of Caucasus. Recently, the monkey goby has been registered as an invasive species in some countries of Europe. In 1970, the species was first declared as a non-indigenous in Lake Balaton in Hungary. [3] The monkey goby was discovered in the Middle Danube in Hungary in 1984. [4] In 2001 it was found to have spread to the Slovak-Hungarian sector of the Danube River. [5] In the basin of the Baltic Sea it was first registered as an invasive species in 1997. [6] The species has also become a common sight in the Włocławek Reservoir and Zegrze Reservoir. [7] The monkey goby has been found in the German part of the river Rhine since March 2009. It has also been found in the Waal River, near Nijmegen, the Netherlands. [8]
In August 2011 the monkey goby is registered for the first time in the Evros River (Greece), which is inflows to the Aegean Sea. [9]
The monkey goby belongs to the group known as malacophages, but molluscs have lower importance in its diet than in that of the round goby. [10] However, in the Sea of Azov molluscs (mainly Abra segmentum) make up 85% of its diet. [11] In the Gulf of Tendra its diet is dominated by polychaetes, the larvae of Chironomidae, molluscs, Cerastoderma , juvenile gobies, adult marbled gobies, and crustaceans such as amphipods and shrimp. [12] In the Danube lakes Yalpug and Kugurluy, the diet of the monkey goby consists of amphipods, molluscs, and Oligochaeta. [13]
In the Khadzhibey Estuary a dozen species of prey make up the diet of monkey goby. [14] Polychaetes, larvae of insects, and shrimp are present in the diet year round. Seasonal dietary additions include crabs such as Rhithropanopeus harrisii , sea weed such as Zostera marina , and amphipods such as Marinogammarus olivii . Certain planktonic crustaceans are also present in the diet of adult gobies.
In the northwestern Black Sea, twelve parasite species are known to infect the monkey goby. [15] The core of the parasitic fauna are a trio metacercariae composed of Сryptocotyle concavum , Сryptocotyle lingua , and Рygidiopsis genata . Other common parasites include the nematode Dichelyne minutus and the cestoda Ligula pavlovskii . The trematode parasites C. lingua and P. genata can also infest humans. [16] [17] In the 1950s, along the coast of the Gulf of Taganrog in the Sea of Azov, the monkey goby was registered as a host of epizootic of nematodes Tetrameres fissispina and Streptocara crassicauda , which are fatal to ducklings. [18]
In Ukraine the monkey goby is a crucial commercial fish, especially in the Sea of Azov and Dnieper-Bug Estuary. It plays an important role in the food chain by serving as prey for other predatory fish living in these areas.
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 fish. Defined as a euryhaline bottom-dwelling goby 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.
Neogobius is a genus of goby native to Black Sea and the Caspian Sea basins. It is part of the broader Benthophilinae subfamily which is also endemic to the same region. Nevertheless, two Neogobius species have recently turned out to be highly invasive and spread across Europe and even to the Great Lakes of North America.
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‰.
Padogobius bonelli, the Padanian goby, is a species of true goby from the family Gobiidae native to rivers of Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, and Switzerland, where it is usually found in areas with gravel substrates or dense vegetation along the edges. Males of this species can reach a length of 8.6 centimetres (3.4 in) TL while females only reach 7.5 centimetres (3.0 in) TL. This species' specific name honours the Italian naturalist Franco Andrea Bonelli (1784-1830), who had originally described this species as Gobius fluviatilis without realizing that this name was already being used for a different goby species, the monkey goby, which had been described by Pallas in 1814.
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.
Lake Sapanca is a fresh water lake in Turkey, between the Gulf of İzmit and the Adapazarı Meadow. The lake has a catchment area of 251 km², surface area is 45 km², a length 16 km east–west / 5 km north–south, and a maximum depth of 52 m. Lake Sapanca, Turkey
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.
Ponticola is a genus of gobies native mostly to fresh waters of the Black Sea - Caspian Sea region in Eurasia. Some species occur in the brackish-water Black and Caspian seas themselves. It was considered to be part of the broader goby subfamily Benthophilinae, also endemic to the same region, although the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not list any subfamilies in the Gobiidae. Originally, Ponticola was described as subgenus of Neogobius.
Tylihul Estuary also called Tiligulskiy liman 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 grass goby is a species of goby native to the Mediterranean Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. It is currently the only known member of its genus.
Proterorhinus is a genus of fishes, known as the tubenose gobies. These gobiid fish are native to Eurasia where they occur in the region of the Caspian and Black seas, inhabiting marine, brackish and fresh waters. The species Proterorhinus semilunaris was introduced to the St. Clair River in Michigan during the late 1990s. Until recently, the genus was considered monotypic, comprising only the tubenose goby. Following molecular and further morphological investigations it has been split into several taxa, with distinct distributions in marine vs. fresh waters and in the Black Sea vs. Caspian Sea basins.
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.
Khadzhibey Estuary, or Khadzhibeyskyi Liman, is an estuary of the north-western part of the Black Sea, located on the north-west from the City of Odessa. It is named after the former Khadzhibey fortress.
Telosentis exiguus is a widespread intestinal parasitic worm. Its hosts are marine and brackish water fish of the Mediterranean basin.
Neogobius pallasi, the Caspian sand goby or the Caspian monkey goby, is a species of fish native to fresh and brackish waters of the Caspian Sea basin including the Volga drainage up to the vicinity of Moscow. It has been introduced into the Aral basin. This species of goby can reach a length of 20 centimetres (7.9 in) SL. It is also important to local commercial fisheries.
The granular pugolovka is a species of gobiid fish widespread in the Caspian Sea. It is a small fish, with a length up to 5.6 centimetres (2.2 in) TL. It was listed as Least Concern by the IUCN in 2008: there are no known major threats. Granular pugolovkas are very abundant in their habitat due to their size and lack of natural predators. The common name 'pugolovka' is a Ukrainian word for tadpole.
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.
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