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Typhlogobius californiensis

Blind Goby
Collection Details

Specimens

Photos

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Records

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes) Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri) Gobiidae (Gobies) Typhlogobius Typhlogobius californiensis (Blind Goby)

Description

This species account was compiled from FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.) and processed using AI-assisted text extraction. It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting. When citing, please reference the original source rather than this page. Learn more about our species accounts.

Characters

Body shape: Elongated.

Distribution

Eastern Pacific: San Simeon Point in central California, USA to southern Baja California, Mexico.

Habitat Associations

Marine. demersal.

Biology

This blind goby is usually found under rocks in shallow water or surf; sandy areas among rocks in kelp beds, and holes in rocks. It occurs from intertidal areas to 15 m depth. It usually spends most of its life inside the burrow of Neotrypaea biffari (formerly known as Callianassa affinis and Callianassa biffari) (Ref. 92840, 123867, 123870) as it is observed along the east Pacific coast of Mexico and USA (Ref. 123865). Juveniles have rudimentary eyes to find a shrimp burrow. Adults probably never leave the burrow, resulting in the lowest oxygen consumption recorded in FishBase (ver. 05/2018). Monogamous (Ref. 52884). Oviparous (Ref. 205). Parents guard the eggs which are found attached to the walls of burrows (Ref. 56079). Also survives well in captivity.
Max length: 8.3 cm TL.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; mating system: monogamy; guarders (nesters); parental care: paternal. Oviparous (Ref. 205). Monogamous mating is observed as both obligate and social (Ref. 52884).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2024-02-15. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).

References

Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H. Hammann (1983) A field guide to Pacific coast fishes of North America. Boston (MA, USA): Houghton Mifflin Company. xii+336 p.
Fitch, J.E. and R.J. Lavenberg (1975) Tidepool and nearshore fishes of California. California Natural History Guides:38. University of California Press, Berkelley and Los Angeles, California. 156 p.
Whiteman, E.A. and I.M. Côté (2004) Monogamy in marine fishes. Biol. Rev. 79:351-375.

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