rock goby
{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Gobius_paganellus.jpg
| image_caption = In Tuscany, Italy
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = {{cite journal | author1 = Carpenter, K.E. | author2 = Smith-Vaniz, W.F. | author3 = de Bruyne, G. | author4 = de Morais, L. | name-list-style=amp | year= 2015 | title = Gobius paganellus | journal = The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species | volume = 2015 | page = e.T198662A21913408 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T198662A21913408.en | doi-access = free }}
| taxon = Gobius paganellus
| synonyms =
- Bathygobius paganellus (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Gobius bicolor J. F. Gmelin, 1789
- Gobius capito Valenciennes, 1837
- Gobius punctipinnis Canestrini, 1862
- Gobius capitonellus Kessler, 1874
- Gobius albosignatus Kessler, 1874
}}
The rock goby (Gobius paganellus) is a small coastal goby of eastern Atlantic waters, from Scotland to Senegal.Miller P.J. (1986) Gobiidae. In: Whitehead P.J.P., Bauchot M.-L., Hureau J.-C., Nielsen J., Tortonese E. (eds.) Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean, Vol. 3. UNESCO, Paris. It is also reported from the Mediterranean and Black Seas, and is an anti-Lessepsian migrant in the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea. There are unconfirmed records from the area around Pointe Noire in Congo-Brazzaville.{{FishBase |genus= Gobius|species= paganellus| month = June | year = 2013}}
Description
The rock goby is usually black with white blotches, but they can change color, and males are much more black when guarding the eggs. The neck area lacks scales and there is a pale band on the top of the first dorsal fin. Both dorsal fins lack black spots on their leading edges. This species can reach a length of {{convert|12|cm|in}} TL and has been known to live for ten years.
Distribution and habitat
The rock goby is found in the temperate East Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. Its range extends from western Scotland southwards to the Azores and Senegal, most of the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. It sometimes migrates through the Suez Canal to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. It prefers rocky sea floors below the low tidemark, although it can be found in larger rock pools in Summer. It may also live in fresh or brackish water. It can be found at depths of from {{convert|0|to|15|m|ft}}.
Behaviour
Reproduction
The rock goby reproduces in spring. It nests in rocky areas near the kelp forest, Up to 7000 eggs are laid, in a single layer, under rocks and shells. The eggs (up to 7000) are laid in a single layer (2.5 mm in height) and guarded aggressively by the male. The eggs hatch in about 19 days.
References
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Category:Marine fish of Europe
Category:Marine fish of West Africa