Bathygobius soporator
Frillfin Goby
NS
GNR
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Gobiidae (Gobies)
Bathygobius
Bathygobius soporator (Frillfin Goby)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Upper pectoral fin rays free of membranes; relatively long upper jaw; fully scaled body; mouth terminal; upper jaw extends to about center of eye; lower jaw slightly included in upper jaw; lips thick and swollen; upper lip with free dorsal margin; jaw teeth in narrow band with outermost teeth enlarged; tongue slightly notched; gill opening extends ventrally to pectoral fin base; gill rakers on first arch 9-11; head length 28.9%-33.8% SL; snout length 7.4%-9.3% SL; eye diameter 5%-7.6% SL; upper jaw length 11.2%-14.6% SL; pre-dorsal-fin length 35.3%-36.8% SL; pelvic fin length 20.3%-23.7% SL; caudal fin length 24.2%-30.2% SL; body depth 18.9%-26.3% SL; pectoral fin rays 18-21 (usually 19 or 20); upper 4 or 5 pectoral fin rays distally free of membrane and filamentous; first dorsal fin VI; second dorsal fin I, 9-10; pelvic fins united by membrane to form disc; anal fin I, 7-9; body completely scaled except side of head; scales on dorsal side of head and chest cycloid and embedded; scales on remainder of body weakly ctenoid; scales in horizontal series 37-44; vertebrae 27 (10 precaudal, 17 caudal)
Brown, either blotched or uniform, with five black saddles; the one over first dorsal fin is broadest; a blue spot on upper region of gill opening
Distribution
North Carolina and Bermuda to southeastern Brazil, including the northern and southern Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Antilles
northern and southern Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
very shallow water from brackish estuaries to rocky tide pools; associated with irregular substrates
irregular substrates
Biology
insect larvae and caridean shrimps
75 mm SL
A resident intertidal species with homing behavior (Ref. 32612). Lives benthically over sandy and muddy substrates (Ref. 79590). Mainly found in pools (Ref. 4343). Abundant in rocky tide pools and along water's edge (Ref. 7251) in lagoons, creeks, estuaries (Ref. 5299, 57403, 79590) and (mangrove) swamps (Ref. 57403, 79590). Occasionally found in fresh waters (Ref. 57403, 79590), with salinity range of 0.0-38.8 ppt (Ref. 97140). Maximum standard length reported 113 mm (= 145 mm TL)(Ref. 79590).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external. Benthic spawner.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2019-02-11. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: commercial.
References
Longley and Hildebrand 1941
Springer and Woodburn 1960
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Dawson 1969b
Castro-Aguirre and Márquez-Espinoza 1981
Robins and Ray 1986
Randall 1996
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith 1997
Castro-Aguirre et al. 1999
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Murdy and Hoese 2002b
Miller, P.J. (1990) Gobiidae. p. 925-951. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon, SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2.
Iwatsuki, Y., S. Kimura, H. Kishimoto and T. Yoshino (1996) Validity of the gerreid fish, Gerres macracanthus Bleeker, 1854, with designation of a lectotype, and designation of a neotype for G. filamentosus Cuvier, 1829. Ichthyol. Res. 43(4):417-429.
Smith, C.L. (1997) National Audubon Society field guide to tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p.
Cole, K.S. (1990) Patterns of gonad structure in hermaphroditic gobies (Teleostei: Gobiidae). Environ. Biol. Fishes 28(1-4):125-142.
Alfred-Ockiya, J.F. (2000) Study of food habits of goby, Porogobius schlegelii (Günther, 1861) from Elechi Creek, off Bonny River, Niger Delta, Nigeria. J. Aquat. Sci. 16(2):79-82.
Harrison, I.J., P.J. Miller and F. Pezold (2003) Gobiidae. p. 625-666 In C. Lévêque, D. Paugy and G.G. Teugels (eds.) Faune des poissons d'eaux douce et saumâtres de l'Afrique de l'Ouest, Tome 2. Coll. Faune et Flore tropicales 40. Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Tervuren, Belgique, Museum National d'Histoire Naturalle, Paris, France and Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Paris, France. 815 p.
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