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Species
Gobius exanthematosus (non Pallas, 1811)
IUCN
NCBI
EOL Text
Occurs in the intertidal zones, among rocks, weeds and pools where the water is usually brackish (Ref. 4343, 5299). Feeds on green algae (Enteromorpha), crustaceans (amphipods, crabs), polychaetes, and insects.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Drina Sta. Iglesia, FishBase |
Source | No source database. |
This species can often be observed basking on sunny days in pools (4). It has a broad diet, which includes large quantities of green algae, polychaete worms, crustaceans, small fishes, and insects (4). The range of food taken varies depending on the age of the fish. Younger giant gobies mainly take small items such as small amphipods and ostracods while older individuals take larger items, until a large proportion of the food intake consists of green algae (4). Both sexes live for about ten years, sexual maturity is reached at two to three years of age, and breeding occurs between March and May. Up to 12,000 eggs are laid per clutch (5); the eggs are attached to the underside of stones and fertilised by the male who then guards them (4). Females produce two clutches of eggs each year for about eight years (4).
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright Wildscreen 2003-2008 |
Source | http://www.arkive.org/giant-goby/gobius-cobitis/ |
Benthic spawner.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Philip Munday, FishBase |
Source | http://www.fishbase.org//Reproduction/FishReproSummary.php?ID=4579&StockCode=4764 |
Britain's largest native species of goby, the giant goby is greyish to olive brown (4) with 'pepper and salt' freckling, which is particularly marked in smaller fish (5). The deep body is covered in small scales, the eyes are small and the tail stalk is short. Males in breeding condition are darker in colour than females (4).
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright Wildscreen 2003-2008 |
Source | http://www.arkive.org/giant-goby/gobius-cobitis/ |
The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.
No available public DNA sequences.
Download FASTA File
Occurs in the intertidal zones, among rocks, weeds and pools where the water is usually brackish (Ref. 4343, 5299). Occasionally recorded in freshwater, but there are no documented records of actual occurrence in European freshwaters (Ref. 59043). Macrobenthos feeder on hard substrates (Ref. 92840), feeds on green algae (Enteromorpha), crustaceans (amphipods, crabs), polychaetes, and insects (Ref. 4696).
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Susan M. Luna, FishBase |
Source | http://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=4579 |
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 2
Specimens with Barcodes: 2
Species With Barcodes: 1
The giant goby has relatively small and well spaced eyes, a short tail stalk and a deep body throughout its length. Greyish to olive brown in colour with 'pepper and salt' speckling. Dark blotches appear along and below the lateral midline. The edges of the dorsal, tail and anal fins are light greyish in colour. Breeding males are darker in colour than females. It reaches up to 27 cm in length.Gobius cobitis is Britain's largest goby. It inhabits high shore rock pools, often with a fresh water input. Although limited to the south west of England it is also found further afield, from the western English Channel to Morocco, the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Gulf of Suez.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1998-2011, The Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom |
Source | http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=3396 |
Fully protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (3).
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright Wildscreen 2003-2008 |
Source | http://www.arkive.org/giant-goby/gobius-cobitis/ |
Eastern Atlantic and theMediterranean and Black Sea; with dubious records from the Gulf of Suez (Ref. 80021).
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Susan M. Luna, FishBase |
Source | http://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=4579 |