Mushroom goby

Last updated

Mushroom goby
Mushroom goby in aquarium.jpg
Mushroom goby from the Sukhyi Estuary, Black Sea, SW Ukraine
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Gobiiformes
Family: Gobiidae
Genus: Ponticola
Species:
P. eurycephalus
Binomial name
Ponticola eurycephalus
(Kessler, 1874)
Synonyms [2]
  • Gobius eurycephalusKessler, 1874
  • Neogobius eurycephalus(Kessler, 1874)
  • Neogobius platyrostris odessicus Pinchuk, 1977
  • Neogobius eurycephalus odessicusPinchuk, 1977

The mushroom goby (Ponticola eurycephalus) is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Gobiidae, the "true gobies". This species is endemic to the northern Black Sea.

Contents

Taxonomy

The mushroom goby was first formally described as Gobius eurycephalus in 1874 by the Baltic German zoologist Karl Kessler with its type locality given as Enikale near Kerch in the Crimea, Ukraine. [3] This species is now classified in the genus Ponticola which was proposed by Alexander von Nordmann in 1840 and which is classified in the family Gobiidae. [3]

Etymology

The mushroom goby is a member of the genus Ponticola, a name which suffixes -cola, which means "dweller in" , onto Pontos, the Greek name for the southern Black Sea. This is a reference to the Black Sea distribution of these gobies. The specific name combines eury, which means "broad", with cephalus, meaning "head", referring to the head of this species being broader than its depth. [4]

Distribution and habitat

The mushroom goby is endmeic to the northern Black Sea where it occurs along the coastlines of the Crimean Peninsula and the Sea of Azov. It is a marine species that is not know to enter freshwaters. [1] This species is found in inshore habitats such as brackish lagoons, estuaries and the lower reaches of large rivers. It is typically found in areas weher there are rocky substrates or sunken trees. [5]

Biology

The mushroom goby feeds mostly on crustaceans. They attain sexual maturity at 2 years old and the spawning season is between December and April. Each female may spawn several times in a season. [1] This species has a maximum total length of 20 cm (7.9 in). [5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ford, M. (2024). "Ponticola eurycephalus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2024: e.T249532191A135114077. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-2.RLTS.T249532191A135114077.en . Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  2. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Ponticola". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  3. 1 2 Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Gobiidae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  4. ↑ Christopher Scharpf (6 March 2025). "Order GOBIIFORMES: Family GOBIIDAE (i-p)". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  5. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Ponticola eurycephalus". FishBase . February 2025 version.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.