Two-spotted goby

Last updated

Two-spotted goby
Gobiusculus flavescens.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Gobiiformes
Family: Gobiidae
Genus: Gobiusculus
Duncker, 1928
Species:
G. flavescens
Binomial name
Gobiusculus flavescens
Synonyms

Genus

  • Chaparrudode Buen, 1931

Species

  • Gobius flavescensFabricius, 1779
  • Coryphopterus flavescens(Fabricius, 1779)
  • Gobius ruuthensparriEuphrasen, 1786

The two-spotted goby (Gobiusculus flavescens) is a species of goby native to marine and brackish waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean where it can be found from the Faeroes and Norway to the northwestern coast of Spain. It has also been recorded from Estonia though records from the Mediterranean Sea are uncertain. They are common on all coasts of the United Kingdom. This species can reach a length of 6 centimetres (2.4 in) TL. [2]

Contents

Habitat

This fish prefers to inhabit areas with plenty of weed growth, being found on overgrown structures and in beds of Laminaria or Zostera . They are found in intertidal pools and shallow water to a depth of 20 m.

Description

Gobiusculus flavescens are small, slender gobies, reaching up to 6 cm in length. They are distinct from other gobies in that their eyes are on the side of the head (lateral) rather than on top (dorsal). [3] There is a black spot at the base of the tail fin, and in the males, there is a second, smaller black spot beneath the pectoral fins. They are reddish to greenish brown in colour, paler on the undersides with dark reticulations dorsally. There are four light 'saddle' marks dorsally from the head to the end of the second dorsal fin. Along the midline of the sides are a series of bluish markings. During the breeding season these markings become extremely bright in the males.

Behaviour

Unlike most gobies, this species does not live on the seabed but instead lives in shoals among seagrasses and seaweeds. It feeds on zooplankton such as crustacean larvae. Breeding takes place in the summer. The male becomes territorial and scoops out a nest in the sand, usually under a stone, in which the female lays a batch of eggs. The male then guards the eggs until they hatch. The juvenile fish move into deeper water to spend the winter. The adults usually die after reproducing once. [4]

Related Research Articles

Spotted bass Species of fish

The spotted bass, also called spotty, or spots in various fishing communities, is a species of North American freshwater fish belonging to the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of the order Perciformes. It is noted for the rows of dark spots below the lateral line, which give it its common name. One of the black basses, it is native to the Mississippi River basin and across the Gulf states, from central Texas through the Florida panhandle. Its native range extends into the western Mid-Atlantic states and it has been introduced into western North Carolina and Virginia. It has also been introduced to southern Africa, where it has become established in some isolated waters as an invasive species.

Pomacanthidae Family of fishes

Marine angelfish are perciform fish of the family Pomacanthidae. They are found on shallow reefs in the tropical Atlantic, Indian, and mostly western Pacific Oceans. The family contains seven genera and about 86 species. They should not be confused with the freshwater angelfish, tropical cichlids of the Amazon Basin.

Loach minnow Species of fish

The loach minnow is a species of freshwater fish. It is a member of the carp family of order Cypriniformes. It occurs in streams and small rivers throughout the Gila River and San Pedro River systems in Arizona, New Mexico, and Sonora; it is now considered extinct in Mexico.

Slimy sculpin Species of fish

The slimy sculpin is a freshwater species of fish belonging to the family Cottidae, which is the largest sculpin family. They usually inhabit cold rocky streams or lakes across North America, ranging from the Great Lakes, southeast Minnesota, northeast Iowa, southwest Wisconsin and northeast Canada. Slimy sculpins have also been found roaming the cold streams of eastern Siberia. They are commonly confused with their closely related relatives, Mottled sculpin, and with tubenose gobies who are both freshwater fishes as well. The slimy sculpin is a nocturnal fish that usually spends most of its time on the stream bottom and seeks shelter under rocks and logs, especially during spawning season. When it swims, it sometimes appears to be "hopping" along the bottom because of its inefficient ability to swim. This is partly due to the absence of a swim bladder, which normally gives buoyancy to a fish.

Northern tidewater goby Species of fish

Eucyclogobius newberryi, the Northern tidewater goby, is a species of goby native to lagoons of streams, marshes, and creeks along the coast of California, United States. The Northern tidewater goby is one of six native goby species to California.

Sand goby Species of fish

The sand goby, also known as a polewig or pollybait, is a species of ray-finned fish native to marine and brackish waters European waters from the Baltic Sea through the Mediterranean Sea and into the Black Sea where it occurs in sandy or muddy areas of inshore waters at depths of from 4 to 200 metres. This species can reach a length of 11 centimetres (4.3 in) TL. This species is sometimes kept in public aquariums. The sand goby is of a sandy colour, with darker markings on the sides and a creamy-white underside. In the breeding season the male fish has blue spot at the rear of the first dorsal fin, ringed with white. The fish has a slender body, and the head is about a quarter of the total length.

<i>Nimbochromis livingstonii</i> Species of fish

Nimbochromis livingstonii, Livingston's cichlid or (locally) kalingono, is a freshwater mouthbrooding cichlid native to Lake Malawi, an African Rift Lake. It is also found in the upper Shire River and Lake Malombe. They are found in inshore areas of the lake over sandy substrates.

Black goby Species of fish

The black goby is a species of ray-finned fish found in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea. It inhabits estuaries, lagoons, and inshore water over seagrass and algae. It feeds on a variety of invertebrates and sometimes small fish. This species can also be found in the aquarium trade.

Oregon spotted frog Species of amphibian

The Oregon spotted frog is a member of the frog family Ranidae of order Anura. It is a medium-sized aquatic frog endemic to the Pacific Northwest and historically well distributed in the Puget Trough/Willamette Valley province and the Cascade Mountains of south-central Washington and Oregon. It is relatively rare within its range and is listed globally as vulnerable.

Sicyopterus lagocephalus, the red-tailed goby or blue stream goby, is a species of goby native to islands of the Indian Ocean from the Comoros to the Mascarene Islands to the Pacific Ocean where it reaches French Polynesia and can be found as far north as Japan. It is an amphidromous species: adults can be found in swift-flowing streams with rocky beds but the eggs hatch at sea and the larval stage remains in marine waters, migrating to freshwaters when they reach the postlarval stage. This species can reach a total length of 13 cm (5 in). In some places it is an important species for local consumption with the post-larvae being caught as they mass in estuaries.

Common goby Species of fish

The common goby is a species of ray-finned fish native to fresh and brackish waters along the Atlantic and Baltic Sea coasts of Europe and northern Africa, with a range stretching from Norway to Morocco and Mauritania. It is also found in the Canary Islands. This species reaches a maximum length of 9 centimetres (3.5 in) TL.

Rock goby Species of fish

The rock goby is a small coastal goby of eastern Atlantic waters, from Scotland to Senegal. It is also reported from the Mediterranean and Black Seas, and is an anti-Lessepsian migrant in the Gulf of Eilat and Red Sea. There are unconfirmed records from the area around Pointe Noire in Congo-Brazzaville.

Chasmodes saburrae, the Florida blenny, is a species of combtooth blenny found in the western central Atlantic Ocean, around the coast of the United States.

Chameleon goby Species of fish

The chameleon goby is a species of ray-finned fish native to marine and brackish waters along the coasts of eastern Asia. It has also spread to other parts of the world where it is found in waters with varying degrees of salinity.

<i>Rhinogobiops</i> Genus of fishes

Rhinogobiops nicholsii, the blackeye goby, is a species of true goby in the family Gobiidae. It is the sole species classified under the genus Rhinogobiops. They are common inhabitants of coral reefs and rocky habitats along the Eastern Pacific Ocean coasts of Mexico, the United States, and Canada, although they are hardly noticed, as they often rest motionless near their shelters. Other common names for the species include bluespot goby and crested goby.

<i>Elacatinus evelynae</i> Species of fish

Elacatinus evelynae, the sharknose goby, Caribbean cleaner goby, Caribbean cleaning goby, is a species of goby native to the Western Atlantic Ocean from the Bahamas and the Lesser Antilles to the northern coast of South America, as well as the Antilles and western Caribbean.

<i>Acanthogobius flavimanus</i> Species of fish

Acanthogobius flavimanus is a species of fish in the goby family known by the common name yellowfin goby. Other common names include mahaze, Japanese river goby, Oriental goby, and spotted goby. It is native to Asia, where its range includes China, Japan, Korea, parts of Russia, Vietnam, and Malaysia. It has spread beyond its native range to become an introduced, and often invasive, species. It has been recorded in Australia, Mexico, and Florida and California in the United States.

Crystal goby Species of fish

Crystallogobius linearis, the crystal goby, is a species of goby native to the Atlantic coasts of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea where it can be found at depths of from 1 to 400 metres. Males of this species grow to a length of 4.7 centimetres (1.9 in) SL while females only reach 3.9 centimetres (1.5 in) SL. This species is the only known member of its genus. The name Crystallogobius comes from the Latin words cristallum, meaning "crystal", and gobius, meaning gudgeon.

<i>Valenciennea helsdingenii</i> Species of fish

Valenciennea helsdingenii is a species of goby from the Indo-Pacific. It is commonly known as the twostripe goby, black-lined sleeper goby, or railway sleeper goby. It can grow up to a length of 25 cm (9.8 in) and is distinguishable by two prominent orange to black lines running longitudinally through its body.

<i>Lophogobius cyprinoides</i> Species of fish

Lophogobius cyprinoides, commonly known as the crested goby, is a small fish that is widespread throughout the western Atlantic Ocean.

References

  1. Herler, J.; Kovacic, M. & Williams, J.T. (2014). "Gobiusculus flavescens". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T18159817A45115667. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T18159817A45115667.en.
  2. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2013). "Gobiusculus flavescens" in FishBase . June 2013 version.
  3. Species information:Gobiusculus flavescens Archived 2013-12-19 at the Wayback Machine Marlin.
  4. "Two-spotted goby: Gobiusculus flavescens (Fabricius)". NatureGate. Retrieved 2013-12-18.