A review of the gobioid fish genus Gobioides

• Published in: Ichthyological research Vol. 45; no. 2; pp. 121 - 133
• Main Author: Murdy, E.O. (American Embassy, Tokyo (Japan))
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 25.05.1998
• Subjects: ANATOMIA ANIMAL; ANATOMIE ANIMALE; ANIMAL MORPHOLOGY; GENERA; GENRE; Gobioides; HABITAT; HABITATS; Marine; PECES MARINOS; POISSON DE MER; SALTWATER FISHES; TAXONOMIA; TAXONOMIE; TAXONOMY; I, Pacific; A, Atlantic
• DOI: 10.1007/BF02678554
• ISSN: 1341-8998

The gobioid genus Gobioides Lacepede, 1800 shares with the amblyopine gobies (Gobiidae: Amblyopinae) an eel-like, elongate body with a continuous dorsal fin and an affinity for shallow water, muddy bottom habitats. Due to similarities in external morphology and habitat requirements, some workers considered Gobioides allied with amblyopine gobies. Others, however, dispute a close relationship between Gobioides and the Amblyopinae; morphological and ecological similarities are considered to be homoplasious. Results of this study concur with placing Gobioides separate from amblyopine gobies and within the gobiid subfamily Gobionellinae. Gobioides is easily distinguished from the Amblyopinae by its larger eyes (small in Gobioides vs. inconspicuous in the Amblyopinae), fewer dorsal and anal-fin rays (14-20 vs. 27-48), and different fin element to vertebra ratios (1:1 vs. 2:1). Gobioides reaches lengths of 500 mm SL or greater whereas amblyopines rarely exceed 300 mm SL. Gobioides comprises five species (G. africanus, G. broussoneti, G. grahamae, G. peruanus, and G. sagitta). Although these gobies occupy habitats with similar conditions, Gobioides and amblyopines are nowhere sympatric. Gobioides occurs in tropical and subtropical coastal waters of the eastern and western Atlantic as well as the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean. In the eastern Atlantic, Gobioides is known from Senegal to Zaire. In the western Atlantic, Gobioides is reported from South Carolina to southern Brazil. In the eastern Pacific, Gobioides is known from Mexico to Peru.