Gobies

[denise]

Gobies are one of the largest fish families, with more than 2000 species! Most are small, bottom-dwelling, shallow living fish, found in a variety of fresh, brackish and marine water habitats. On coral reefs, they are the dominant small bottom fish. Most are too small to be fished by humans, but they are extremely important prey species for many of our commercially important fish such as cod, sea bass and flatfish.

Most live on or in the bottom and are well adapted for this specialized habitat. Most gobies lack swim bladders and their fused pelvic fins form a suction disc underneath their body. This sucker is similar to that of remoras and lumpsuckers; gobies use it to adhere to rocks and corals.


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Gobies are readily distinguished from their close cousins, the blennies, as they have two distinct dorsal fins; blennies only have a single long one.

There are more than 30 species of goby living in Floridian waters.


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Neon Goby, Gobiosoma oceanops, West Palm Beach
Photo by Debi Buck

Neon gobies are common in South Florida, where they earn their living as cleaner fish. Cleaning stations with large fish (that would normally eat neon gobies) come to have the gobies eat small external parasites from their gills and mouths. The gobies are get protection and food in return for their cleaning services.




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Goldspot goby Gnatholepis thompsoni, West Palm Beach
Photo courtesy of Bob Rosell

Goldspot gobies are common in South Florida. They inhabit open sand, rock, and rubble areas at depths of 3-150 feet. They often accompany the bridled goby. They feed on small animals and organic material by taking sand into their mouth, and pushing it out through their gill openings, filtering out the food.


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Clown goby, Microgobius gulosus, Florida Bay
Photo courtesy of US Geological Survey (http://fl.biology.usgs.gov/)


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Clown goby, Microgobius gulosus, showing large mouth
Photo courtesy of US Geological Survey (http://fl.biology.usgs.gov/)

The clown goby is distributed along the Western Atlantic seaboard from Maryland through Texas as far as South Florida. They usually live in quiet, muddy waters of varying salinity, anywhere from fresh to sea water.


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Code goby, Gobiosoma robustum, Florida Bay
Photo courtesy of US Geological Survey (http://fl.biology.usgs.gov/)

The code goby is distributed along the Gulf of Mexico coast from southern Texas as far as Key West, and along the Atlantic coast from north of Miami as far as Cape Canaveral. They favor estuaries and shallow sea grass beds.


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Sharknose goby, Gobiosoma evelynae, Boynton Beach

Sharknose gobies normally hang out in pairs in cleaning stations on coral reefs, where they wait patiently for bigger fish to service. They remove (and eat) the ectoparasites off them.


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Blue Goby, Ptereleotris calliurus

The blue goby is common on both coasts of Florida, but not often spotted by divers. They usually hang out just above their burrows in the sand, but will quickly retreat to them when divers approach.