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Teleostei (teleosts) > Gobiiformes (Gobies) > Gobiidae (Gobies) > Gobionellinae
Etymology: Pomatoschistus: Greek, poma, -atos = cover, operculum + Greek, schistos = divided (Ref. 45335).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal; amphidromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 12 m (Ref. 35388). Temperate; 8°C - 24°C (Ref. 4944); 64°N - 20°N, 19°W - 31°E

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Eastern Atlantic: Norway to Morocco, including Baltic Sea (to southern Portugal) (Ref. 4696) and western Mediterranean. Also in Mauritania and the Canary Islands.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ?, range 3 - ? cm
Max length : 9.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 6303); max. reported age: 2.60 years (Ref. 40230)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 6 - 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8 - 11; Anal spines: 1; Anal soft rays: 7 - 10; Vertebrae: 30 - 32. This species is distinguished from other gobies in European freshwaters by the following characters: males with conspicuous dark proximal posterior spot on first dorsal; with cephalic lateral line canals; anterior oculoscapular canal extending to snout; branched rays in second dorsal 8-10.5; anal origin below simple of first branched ray of D2; total scales in midlateral series 39-52; completely scaled postdorsal body; caudal rounded (Ref. 59043). No scales in front of the first dorsal fin (Ref. 35388); body shape is terete, slightly depressed; eyes situated dorso-laterally; reduced swim bladders (Ref. 92840).

Enters estuaries, salt marshes and pools (Ref. 4343); usually on sand or mud (Ref. 59043). Lives in sea as well as brackish waters and migrates into limnetic sections of rivers (Ref. 92840). Also rock pools where it feeds mainly on epibenthic meiofauna like harpacticoids and small amphipods (Ref. 92840); small crustaceans, worms, chironomid larvae and mites (Ref. 4696). Its burrowing habit allows it to survive low water levels and to avoid predators (Ref. 30508). Spawns after first winter, at sea, in February - September, depending on latitude; individual females spawn several times during a season. Adhesive eggs (0.9 x 0.7 mm) are deposited under or between stones, shells and aquatic plants and males guard the eggs until hatching. Juveniles enter freshwater habitats in late summer to forage (Ref. 59043). The male defends and aerates the eggs for about 9 days.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Benthic spawner (Ref. 32023).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Maugé, L.A., 1986. Gobiidae. p. 358-388. In J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde (eds.) Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA). ISNB, Brussels; MRAC, Tervuren; and ORSTOM, Paris. Vol. 2. (Ref. 4343)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 18 January 2023

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: commercial

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 9 - 16.1, mean 10.8 °C (based on 450 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5001 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00776 (0.00407 - 0.01480), b=3.08 (2.92 - 3.24), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.3 ±0.3 se; based on diet studies.

Generation time: 3.7 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 1 growth studies.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.29; tm=0.8; tmax=2.6; Assuming fec < 10,000).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low to moderate vulnerability (33 of 100).

Nutrients (Ref. 124155): Calcium = 97.2 [44.2, 272.7] mg/100g; Iron = 0.439 [0.228, 0.911] mg/100g; Protein = 18.1 [16.1, 19.7] %; Omega3 = 0.61 [0.23, 1.37] g/100g; Selenium = 4.9 [2.0, 12.3] μg/100g; VitaminA = 38.6 [9.8, 137.2] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.18 [0.76, 1.86] mg/100g (wet weight);

Pomatoschistus microps (Krøyer, 1838)