Gobiiformes

Freyhof, Jörg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, GmbH, Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter : 653

Order Gobiiformes

Gobies

Gobiiformes include gobies, as well as cardinal fishes ( Apogonidae ) and nursery fishes ( Kurtidae ). Gobies are commonly small benthic fishes, forming one of the most speciose groups among Teleostei. There are approximately 270 genera, with more than 2400 species. These can be found in all aquatic habitats, especially in coral reefs. Gobies are distinguished from all other freshwater fishes in West Asia by the fusion of the pelvics, which form a suction organ with an anterior transverse membrane. They also have two dorsals, and the pelvic is located beneath the base of the pectoral.

Most gobies have a short lifespan, with an average of less than few years. However, the biology of most species in West Asia still needs to be studied. Male gobies engage in parental care, with eggs suspended from the roof of small cavities beneath stones, shells, leaves, or any other hard structure. The male may mate with multiple females and guards the eggs until the larvae hatch and leave the nest. Many gobies exhibit sexual dimorphism, with male exhibiting larger fins and more intense colouration, often black in Neogobius and Ponticola species.

Previously, Gobiiform systematics was based on a limited number of morphological characters. However, recent molecular studies have confirmed the majority of these classifications. Currently, nine families of gobies are recognised: Butidae , Eleotridae , Gobiidae , Milyeringidae , Odontobutidae , Oxudercidae , Rhyacichthyidae , Thalasseleotrididae , and Xenisthmidae . In freshwater habitats of West Asia, two families occur: Gobiidae and Oxudercidae . There is no consistent morphological character distinguishing Gobiidae and Oxudercidae ; both are identified as families only by molecular characters. In West Asia, genera as disparate as sand gobies ( Knipowitschia ) and mudskippers ( Boleophthalmus , Periophthalmus , Scartelaos ) belong to Oxudercidae . In contrast, all the Ponto-Caspian gobies ( Neogobius and Ponticola ) and some genera from the Indian Ocean belong to Gobiidae . As both families are not diagnosed by external characteristics, the keys for the genera of gobies are designed to facilitate the identification of all freshwater gobies in West Asia.

The Odontobutid goby Perccottus glenii is a highly invasive species in Europe. It occurs as a weed in carp farms and is introduced with non-biosafe carp. Given the lack of regulation of fish stocking in West Asia, the introduction of Perccottus glenii can be expected anytime. Two eleotrid gobies ( Eleotris acanthopomus and Ophiocara porocephala ) have been identified in brackish inland waters of Oman. As they do not qualify as freshwater fishes, they are not included in this book, as are species such as Bathygobius fuscus and Acentrogobius dayi , which are included in the key but otherwise excluded from the book because they occur only in brackish waters in ther Persian Gulf.

Further reading. Nelson et al. 2016 (diversity); Near & Thacker 2024 (phylogeny).