Painted goby

Painted goby
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Division: Teleostei
Order: Gobiiformes
Family: Oxudercidae
Genus: Pomatoschistus
Species:
P. pictus
Binomial name
Pomatoschistus pictus
(Malm, 1865)
Synonyms
  • Gobius pictus Malm, 1865
  • Pomatoschistus pictus pictus (Malm, 1865)
  • Gobius rhodopterus Günther, 1861
  • Gobius affinis Kolombatović, 1891
  • Pomatoschistus pictus adriaticus P. J. Miller, 1973

The painted goby (Pomatoschistus pictus) is a small goby of Western European waters from Trondheim Fjord to Spain, the Canary Islands and is sometimes reported in the Mediterranean Sea. Also mentioned in the Black Sea. It lives at depths from 1 to 55 metres (3.3 to 180.4 ft), preferring a gravelly or sandy environment. Its young may sometimes be found in tide pools. It feeds on amphipods and copepods.

Description

The painted goby is a relatively small goby, only growing to 6 cm in length, although some may grow to 9.5 cm. It is fawn-brown, with a row of four double dark brown spots along the sides. The dorsal fin has rows of dark brown-black spots interspersed with bands of iridescent blue and pink.

References

  1. ↑ Herler, J.; Williams, J.T. & Kovacic, M. (2014). "Pomatoschistus pictus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T198550A45110312. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T198550A45110312.en.
  2. ↑ Pomatoschistus pictus at FishBase
  3. ↑ Black Sea Fishes Check List Archived 2011-01-25 at the Wayback Machine