Round goby
| Round goby | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Suborder: | Gobioidei |
| Family: | Gobiidae |
| Subfamily: | Benthophilinae |
| Genus: | Neogobius |
| Species: | N. melanostomus |
| Binomial name | |
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Neogobius melanostomus (Pallas, 1814) |
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| The Range of the Round Goby | |
| Synonyms | |
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| External identifiers for Round goby | |
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| Encyclopedia of Life | 218104 |
| ITIS | 172072 |
| NCBI | 47308 |
| WoRMS | 126916 |
| Also found in: FishBase | |
The round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) is a euryhaline bottom-dwelling goby of the family Gobiidae, native to central Eurasia including the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Round gobies have established large non-native populations in the Baltic Sea, several major Eurasian rivers, and the North American Great Lakes.
Round gobies are small, soft-bodied fish, characterized by a distinctive black spot on the first dorsal fin. Their eyes are large and protrude slightly from the top of the head and, like most gobies, round gobies have pelvic fins that are fused to form a single disc on the belly of the fish shaped like a suction cup. Round gobies range in length from 4 to 10 inches (maximum of 9.7 inches (24.6 cm)), and in weight from 0.176 ounces to 2.816 ounces, increasing as they age. Male round gobies are larger than females. Juvenile round gobies (less than one year old) are grey. Upon maturation, round gobies become mottled with gray, black, brown, and olive green markings. Adult male round gobies turn inky black during the spawning season and develop swollen cheeks. Male and female round gobies are easily differentiated through the shape of their urogenital papilla, which is white to grey, long and pointed in males, and brown, short and blunt-tipped in females.
Widespread in the Sea of Marmara and rivers of its basin. In the Black Sea and Sea of Azov along all coasts and fresh waters of their basins. In the coastal lakes and lagoons. In the rivers of Crimea and Caucasus: Mezib, Pshada, Vulan, Kodori, Çoruh. In the Caspian Sea presented by subspecies Neogobius melanostomus affinis. Since 1990 the round goby registered as introduced in the North American Great Lakes as an invasive species. and different parts of Europe including the Baltic Sea. Round gobies are also rapidly expanding into tributaries of the Great Lakes in North America, and were recently discovered in at least one of the Finger Lakes in New York state (Cayuga Lake).
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Wikipedia