Evermannichthys spongicola
Sponge Goby
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Gobiidae (Gobies)
Evermannichthys
Evermannichthys spongicola (Sponge 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
Deep caudal peduncle; snout acute and wedge-shaped in profile, triangle-shaped in dorsal view; lips fleshy; upper lip fold interrupted at symphysis by broad frenum; jaw teeth small, pointed, recurved, in bands narrowing posteriorly; some inner row lower jaw teeth enlarged; tongue free, bilobed anteriorly; gill opening straight, slightly longer than pectoral fin base; measurements (% SL): head length 19%–24%, snout length 3.7%–4.8%, eye diameter 2.6%–3.5%, upper jaw length 7.2%–9%, pectoral fin length 15%–23%, pelvic fin length 14%–20%, body depth at dorsal fin origin 11%–14%, caudal peduncle depth 8.8%–10%; pectoral fin fan-like with 11-13 rays; first dorsal fin with 5-7 (usually 6-7) spines, second dorsal fin with 1 spine and 10-15 rays; pelvic fins united, forming oval-shaped disc; pelvic fin spines connected by frenum; anal fin with 1 spine and 8-10 rays; body naked except for 3 rows of ctenoid scales from anal fin insertion to caudal peduncle; vertebrae 28-35 (12-16 precaudal, 16-20 caudal)
Tan to dusky with 17 dark bars or saddles, best developed anteriorly; dorsal, anal, and caudal fins with dark spots
Distribution
Western Atlantic from North Carolina to Fort Pierce, FL, and from Panama City to the Dry Tortugas
Campeche Bay in the Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Associated with large sponges such as Speciospongia
Biology
Maximum known size is 30 mm SL
Always lives in large loggerhead sponges and other similar sponges (Ref. 7251). Live deep within canals of the sponges, near the openings to the incurrent canals. Sponges provide species with protection from predators and an available food source in many invertebrates. Eggs found within sponge or small plankton brought through incurrent pores (Ref. 92840).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2010-03-01. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
References
Longley and Hildebrand 1941 (as E. metzelaari)
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968 (as E. metzelaari)
Böhlke and Robins 1969
Robins and Ray 1986
Birdsong et al. 1988
Smith 1997
Murdy and Hoese 2002b
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Nelson, J.S., E.J. Crossman, H. Espinosa-Pérez, L.T. Findley, C.R. Gilbert, R.N. Lea and J.D. Williams (2004) Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 29, Bethesda, Maryland. ix, 386 p. + 1 CD.
Bogutskaya, N.G. (2007) Preliminary assignment of coordinates to type localities in the Catalog of Fishes. Unpublished dbf file.
Patzner, R.A., J.L. Van Tassell, M. Kovačić and B.G. Kapoor (2011) The biology of gobies. Enfield, NH : Science Publishers ; Boca Raton, FL : DIstributed by CRC Press, 685 p.
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