GOBIIDAE: GOBIES
 |
| © B Hutchins, ex-W.A. Museum |
Globally, the family is a large and growing one, with at least 1400 – 1500 known species in 2006 (Froese and Pauly, 2007), and 1560 species in 2008 (Froese and Pauly, 2008). Gobies are distributed throughout marine, brackish and fresh waters. There are at least 378 species known in Australia (CSIRO, 2008), and the number regularly increases as groups are revised, and /or new species are discovered (e.g. Larson, 2001; Gill and Jewett, 2004).
Gobies are primarily benthic fishes that rest on the substrate, living on or in sand, rocks, seagrasses, in burrows, or amongst coral (in tropical areas) (Kuiter, 2000). Some species bury themselves in the substrate to sleep, or to escape predators (Kuiter, 2000). Most gobies take small invertebrate prey, and small fish have also been recorded in the diet of some species. Some temperate gobies take relatively large prey, but most filter microscopic organisms from sand (Kuiter, 2000). Marine and estuarine gobies are important food sources for some predatory fish species, such as West Australian Salmon Arripis truttacea, and Platycephalus flathead species (e.g. Hindell et al., 2000).
The following account of the biology and behaviour of gobies is from Hoese (1998, cited in Pogonoski et al., 2002): Most, if not all, gobies have a similar life cycle. The female lays from five to a few hundred eggs and attaches them to some form of vegetation, shell, rock or coral, and the male then fertilises the eggs. The female departs and the male is left to guard the eggs and keep them clean until they hatch (one to a few days) into small, transparent larval stages of 2-10 mm in length. The larvae are dispersed into the water column and swim for 3 to 20 days (depending on the species) before settling into suitable habitat where they rapidly develop colouration to match their surroundings. In warm waters fish grow rapidly and mature in a few months, but in cooler areas growth is slower and maturity is not reached until one or two years of age. Longevity for most warm water species is probably only a year, while cooler water species are thought to survive for two to ten years. Sex change (from female to male) occurs in some gobies, but most species are thought not to change sex (Hoese, 1998, cited by Pogonoski et al., 2002).
Due to the large number of gobies and the inherent lack of basic biological and ecological knowledge for many of these species, there are likely to be additional species with conservation concerns, both in Australia and worldwide. Some goby species may become extinct even before they are discovered (Hoese, 1998). The conservation significance of gobies at an international level is partly reflected in the IUCN listings. For example, in the 2002 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 58 gobies were listed, excluding the category of Least Concern. At that time, five species were listed as Critically Endangered, 18 were listed as Vulnerable, 12 were listed as Lower Risk (Near Threatened), one was listed as Lower Risk (Conservation Dependent) and 22 were listed as Data Deficient. In 2008, excluding species classified as Least Concern, 54 species were listed (including 10 Critically Endangered, 3 Endangered, and 16 Vulnerable) (IUCN, 2008).
Some of the more common species that occur in southern Australia, including South Australia, are listed below, with notes compiled from the following references: Glover, 1979; Edgar, 1984; Geddes, 1987; Ainslie et al., 1989; Potter et al., 1993; Hoese and Larson, in Gomon et al., 1994; Pollard, 1994; Connolly, 1994; Edgar and Shaw, 1995b; Environmental Protection Authority of Victoria, 1996; Kuiter, 1996a; Jones et al., 1996; Jenkins et al., 1997; Cappo et al., 1998; Jordan et al., 1998; Hicks and Sheldon, 1999; Jackson and Jones, 1999; Edgar, 2000; Kanandjembo et al., 2001; Fairhead et al., 2002a, 2002b; Higham et al., 2002; Griffiths, 2003a; Wedderburn and Hammer, 2003; Plummer et al., 2003; Australian Museum records, S.A. Museum records, and CSIRO Marine Research records, cited in OZCAM database, 2004; Hindell and Jenkins, 2004, 2005; Crinall and Hindell, 2004; Hoese and Larson, 2006.
Bridled Goby Arenigobius (or Acentrogobius) bifrenatus, a common intertidal and shallow subtidal species in bays and estuaries, often found in Zostera beds, and distributed across southern Australia. Gillanders et al. (2008) reported its presence in 13 estuaries in South Australia;
Blue-spot Goby (Swan River Goby) Pseudogobius olorum, an estuarine species which spends part of its life in fresh water. Gillanders et al. (2008) reported its presence in 18 estuaries in South Australia. In S.A., the species has been recorded in the Coorong and the Murray Mouth and Murray Lakes (e.g. Albert); also the shallow bay area of north-eastern Kangaroo Island; Onkaparinga River / Port Noarlunga area in Gulf St Vincent (GSV); Patawalonga River in the metropolitan area of GSV (S.A. Museum records); fresh water rivers of the northern Adelaide area (e.g. North Para River, and other locations in the Barossa / Gawler River catchment area, where there are land-locked populations of P. olorum) (Native Fish Australia – S.A., 2000). The species has also been recorded recently in the shallows of far northern (Port Arthur) and north-eastern GSV (e.g. Middle Beach) (K. Smith, unpubl. data, 2004), and at the Port River – Barker Inlet estuary in metropolitan GSV (Bloomfield and Gillanders, 2005; Hammer, 2006b). On the far west coast of S.A., P. olorum has been recorded in shallow, saline creeks and bays which have no significant freshwater input, such as Denial Bay, Davenport Creek and Nadia Landing, near Ceduna (K. Smith, unpubl. data, 2004, 2005). The south-east of S.A. is the eastern limit of the distribution, with a very similar species or sub-species occurring in the eastern States, where it is has been recorded on unvegetated intertidal mudflats (Western Port Bay); intertidal Zostera and shallow subtidal Heterozostera seagrass (e.g. Corner Inlet), unvegetated sand bottom habitats, estuary basin margins (e.g. Wilsons Inlet), and mangrove areas (Western Port Bay);
Southern Longfin Goby Favonigobius lateralis: distributed across eastern, southern and western Australia, in bays, estuaries and channels, associated with sand and seagrass (e.g. Zostera / Heterozostera) habitats, and also recorded on unvegetated intertidal mudflats, and in saltmarsh. The species has been recorded as abundant in various estuaries, including Barker Inlet estuary in South Australia. Gillanders et al. (2008) reported this species from 14 estuaries in South Australia, and is also widely distributed in nearshore marine waters in S.A., including Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent. During a beam trawl survey near Outer Harbour in 2002, a total of 2,403 specimens of this species were recorded. Some examples of recent sightings include specimens from bays near Ceduna (west coast of S.A.); sightings near jetties on Yorke Peninsula (e.g. Edithburgh), and also sites in far northern GSV;
Sculptured Goby Callogobius mucosus: distributed across southern Australia, commonly in sheltered bays, in mud and sand habitat, under rocks, and under jetties;
Flathead Goby Callogobius depressus: A south-eastern species, found in N.S.W., Victoria, Tasmania and S.A., commonly in estuaries, rock pools, and under rocks or in ledges on shallow subtidal reefs;
Sailfin Goby / Castelnau’s Goby Nesogobius pulchellus: found across southern Australia and Tasmania, and the most widely distributed species in the genus. The species appears to be abundant in South Australia in nearshore marine waters (e.g. one beam trawl survey in the Port Giles area in 2002, recorded 548 specimens of Sailfin Goby – Fairhead et al., 2002a);
Nesogobius maccullochi (Hoese and Larson, 2006) = Girdled Goby Nesogobius sp.1 (Hoese and Larson, in Gomon et al., 1994): an abundant species in estuaries and shallow marine waters, often in Zostera seagrass or on shallow subtidal sand; found around Tasmania and the Kent Group Islands, Victoria and South Australia (with examples from the latter State including western Gulf St Vincent, and northern and north-eastern Kangaroo Island);
Nesogobius greeni (Hoese and Larson, 2006) = Twinbar Goby Nesogobius sp. 3 (Hoese and Larson, in Gomon et al., 1994): found in N.S.W., Victoria, Tasmania and parts of S.A., such as Kangaroo Island, western Gulf St Vincent, and the Port River – Barker Inlet Estuary, and abundant in some parts of the geographic range. The species is normally found on sand around sea grass beds and around rocky reefs from the intertidal to depths of 8 m (Hoese and Larson, 2006);
Orange-spotted Goby Nesogobius hinsbyi: occurs in sandy bottom habitat on the inner continental shelf (to about 60m), and recorded in Tasmania, Victoria, and South Australia. Due to its deeper water distribution (compared with other Nesogobius species), N. hinsbyi is generally part of the bycatch in dredges and trawls (Hoese and Larson, 2006). Examples of locations in S.A. where Orange-spotted goby has been recorded include north-eastern Kangaroo Island bays; northern Spencer Gulf, and various locations in the eastern Great Australian Bight in S.A., such as Smoky Bay and Decres Bay; and
Glass Goby Gobiopterus semivestitus: from eastern and south-eastern Australia, with S.A. as the western limit of the range. REcordeds in south /australia come from Gulf St Vicnent (e.g. Wakefield, Light and Gawler rivers; Port Adelaide River - Barker Inlet, and Onkaparinga River: Gillanders et al., 2008). The species forms abundant schools in N.S.W., and is also common in Victorian bays such as Western Port, where it occurs in a number of habitats, including unvegetated intertidal flats, seagrasses, and mangroves.
It is noted that about 10 to 20 new species in the Gobiidae are described each year, and at least 90 species that are undescribed, or otherwise of unknown identity, are currently recorded from Australia (Hoese, 1998 and Hoese et al., in press, cited by Pogonoski et al., 2002). A number of goby species in the genus Nesogobius remained undescribed during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. It is difficult to determine the distribution and relative abundance of species in this genus for several reasons. As is the case with a number of other gobies, species in Nesogobius are small, cryptically-coloured, and therefore difficult to see. It is not likely that they would be regularly recorded unless targeted surveys specifically sought to find such species. There are at least 6 undescribed Nesogobius species, provisionally given the numbers 1 to 6 for identification (e.g. see Hoese and Larson, in Gomon et al., 1994; Kuiter, 1996b). The numbers assigned to each species differ between authors. For example, Groove-cheek Goby (Grooved-cheek Goby) has been called Nesogobius sp. 4 (in Gomon et al., 1994) or Nesogobius sp. 7 (in Kuiter, 1996b; and Australian Museum, 2003b). Other examples are provided in the synopses below. To further complicate identification, the common names assigned to Nesogobius species are also not standardised between publications. For example, according to Hoese and Larson (in Gomon et al., 1994), the Nesogobius species “Opalescent Goby” purportedly is known only from sand habitat in Port Phillip Bay in Victoria. In contrast, Hutchins and Swainston (1986, 2001) reported that the Nesogobius species “Opalescent Goby” is found across southern Australia, from Victoria through to Western Australia. Furthermore, surveys of nearshore fish species often do not record Nesogobius to species level, or provide the numbers assigned in published summaries. For example, recent surveys of Victoria’s nearshore fish fauna in Port Phillip Bay (Hart et al., 2003) recorded two Nesogobius species, and both were recorded only as “Nesogobius species”. Similarly in South Australia, published and unpublished fish survey information that includes cryptic species such as gobies, often does not include a species name (or number, in the case of the unidentified Nesogobius taxa), or verifications for Nesogobius records. For example, a Nesogobius sp. recorded in Barker Inlet (Jones et al., 1996; Jones and Jackson, 1999) may have been the more common Favonigobius lateralis (M. Hammer, pers. comm., 2007). A more recent report of a Nesogobius species in another survey of the entrance of Barker Inlet area (Cheshire et al., 2002), was also not verified. Similarly, a trawl survey in the snapper grounds of upper Spencer Gulf recorded a Nesogobius species (P. Jennings, SARDI, unpublished survey data, 2003), but it was not identified to species or number, nor verified as being Nesogobius.
In South Australia, range extensions for several estuarine goby species have been reported in recent years (e.g. data by M. Hammer, cited in Hammer, 2006a and 200b; data by K. Smith, 2004). Possible new species of goby have been recorded in Pelican Lagoon on Kangaroo Island (data by M. Hammer, cited by M. Kinloch, pers. comm., 2008), and in the Port River - Barker Inlet estuary (data by M. Hammer, cited by Gillanders et al., 2008). Estuarine species of limited known distribution are of conservation concern due to the limited available habitat (i.e. the small number of estuarine areas in S.A.), and its declining quality. Estuaries, particularly in the Gulfs region, are subject to numerous pollutants from multiple sources.
Additionally, a number of gobies have caused some conservation problems for local species by being introduced into non-native Australian waters through the ballast water of cargo ships (Hoese, 1973, 1998, cited by Pogonoski et al., 2002; Lockett and Gomon, 2001; Hewitt et al., 2004). A number of these introduced goby species are now established in southern Australian States, particularly in port areas, with commonly cited examples including Japanese Goby (Chameleon Goby) Tridentiger trigonocephalus, and Oriental Goby, Acanthogobius flavimanus. Apart from arrival in ballast water, there are suggestions that exotic goby species may also be transferred in commercial shipments of oysters (W.A. Department of Fisheries, 2001b). The Japanese Goby T. trigonocephalus is now found in high densities in some of the harbours and estuaries in New South Wales, Victoria, and W.A. (Pollard and Hutchings, 1990; W.A. Department of Fisheries, 2001b; Hewitt et al., 2004; N.S.W. Department of Primary Industries web site, January, 2005), and the species is also present in the Port River (Hammer, 2006b) and West Lakes (Gillanders et al., 2008) in South Australia. Exotic gobies such as T. trigonocephalus have the potential to compete with native fish species for habitat and spawning sites. The Japanese Goby T. trigonocephalus is capable of spawning more often, and over longer time periods, than native species. The Japanese Goby in found mainly in estuarine waters, hence it is resistant to changes in salinity and temperature, and can also survive in degraded environments. The Japanese Goby is also an aggressive, voracious feeder which can forage in total darkness, feeding on crustaceans, polychaete worms, gastropods and fish eggs (W.A. Department of Fisheries, 2001b). Other more recently introduced goby species include the northwest Pacific Acentrogobius pflaumi (Bleeker 1853), which has been recorded in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria (Lockett and Gomon, 2001), and Fremantle, Western Australia (B. Hutchins, pers. comm., 2007).
Gobies are of some commercial interest in the aquarium trade. In Tasmania, under the Tasmanian Fisheries (Scalefish) Rules 2004, Regulation 100, there is a commercial fishing possession limitation of a maximum of 3 each of Callogobius mucosus, Tasmanogobius gloveri, Nesogobius species 3; N. pulchellus, N. hinsbyii, licence holder per day, due to the development of an aquarium trade in that State. Permitted annual catch numbers are not known for this report, and were not recorded in recent documentation on the Tasmanian aquarium fishery (e.g. DPIWE Tasmania 2005b; Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage, 2005b).
Associated taxa
Copyright © 1997 - 2010 Reef Watch and contributing authors. All material on this site is the property of Reef Watch and its contributing authors.Reef Watch is a project of the Conservation Council of South Australia inc. Ideas, requests, problems regarding Reef Watch? Send feedback