Gobioidei
| Gobioidei | |
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| Freshwater gobies, Rhinogobius duospilus |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Suborder: | Gobioidei |
| Families | |
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The Gobioidei are a suborder of the Perciformes, the largest order of fish. The suborder includes the gobies. The suborder Gobioidei is made up of 2,211 species which are divided into seven different families. Phylogenetic relationships of the Gobioidei have been elucidated using molecular data. Gobioids are generally small fish and are mostly marine (saltwater) fishes, but roughly 10% of the population inhabit fresh waters. This suborder is made up of mainly benthic or sand-burrowing fish. Benthic fish live on the bottom of a body of water. Like in most benthic organisms, gobioids do not have a gas bladder or swim bladder which keeps them from suspending in the water column, so they must stay on the bottom.
The family Gobiidae, made up of fish called gobies, are the largest marine family of fish with around 1,950 different species. Gobies commonly have their pelvic fins fused together, which allows them to use their pelvic fins as a suction device to keep them anchored on a hard surface such as a rock or piece of coral. Gobies often live in association with invertebrates such as sponges and sea urchins in or around corals both soft and hard; however, some species live on bare mud and sand. Gobies are typically small fish; many do not exceed a total length of 10 cm. Some of the smallest fish in the world belong to this suborder such as the Trimmatom nanus. This species, found in the Indian Ocean, is only 8–10 mm as an adult. The largest of the gobiids is found in the South Atlantic and Caribbean region; the violet goby, Gobioides broussenetti, can grow to a length of 50 cm; this goby. which is purple in color. resembles an eel with its elongated anal and dorasl fins. Some gobies in the genera Periophthalmus and Boleophthalmus are practically amphibious, meaning they can breath in and out of water. Species such as the Atlantic mudskipper (Periophthalmus barbarus), which can grow to a length of 25 cm, can actually breath air. These gobies skip across the mud of intertidal flats in mangrove swamps in search of food; adults feed mostly on crabs, insects, and other arthropods.
While most of the species in this family are found in a marine setting, some species inhabit freshwater streams and lakes, some of which are important to island stream assemblages. Species such as the red-tailed stream goby (Lentipes concolor) are able to use their fused pelvic fins as a suction device which enables them to ascend rock faces alongside waterfalls, allowing them to inhabit waters far from the ocean.
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Wikipedia