Loach goby
Encyclopedia
The Loach Goby, Rhyacichthys aspro, is a goby
belonging to the family Rhyacichthyidae
.
Thacker and Hardman's study of the molecular phylogeny
of the gobies indicates that the loach goby is the most primitive member of the gobioidei. The loach goby is not fished commercially.
system. The pelvic fins are separate, with enlarged musculature. In colour it is light brown, with darker, longitudinal stripes on its flanks. There are also dark stripes on the dorsal, caudal, and pectoral fins.
. It can be found in steep coastal streams.
growing on the rock surfaces.
Goby
The gobies form the family Gobiidae, which is one of the largest families of fish, with more than 2,000 species in more than 200 genera. Most are relatively small, typically less than 10 cm in length...
belonging to the family Rhyacichthyidae
Rhyacichthyidae
The family Rhyacichthyidae, or loach gobies is a small family of perciform fish that consists of two genera and three species. They inhabit marine and fresh water in Oceania and the eastern Pacific.-Species:*Genus Protogobius...
.
Thacker and Hardman's study of the molecular phylogeny
Molecular phylogeny
Molecular phylogenetics is the analysis of hereditary molecular differences, mainly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. The result of a molecular phylogenetic analysis is expressed in a phylogenetic tree...
of the gobies indicates that the loach goby is the most primitive member of the gobioidei. The loach goby is not fished commercially.
Description
The loach goby is 25–32 cm long. It has 8 dorsal spines and 8 or 9 soft dorsal rays. There is one anal spine and 8 or 9 anal rays. The head is flattened vetically, with a snout and small eyes. The mouth is on the underside and has a fleshy upper lip. The Body is laterally compressed toward the slightly forked tail, and there is a well-developed lateral lineLateral line
The lateral line is a sense organ in aquatic organisms , used to detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water. Lateral lines are usually visible as faint lines running lengthwise down each side, from the vicinity of the gill covers to the base of the tail...
system. The pelvic fins are separate, with enlarged musculature. In colour it is light brown, with darker, longitudinal stripes on its flanks. There are also dark stripes on the dorsal, caudal, and pectoral fins.
Distribution and habitat
The loach goby lives in tropical waters between 24°N and 13°S in both marine and freshwater environments, in the western Pacific oceanPacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. It can be found in steep coastal streams.
Habits
The loach goby normally clings to rocks in fast-flowing streams, using the rocks as hiding places when threatened. It makes swift darting movements. It eats the algaeAlgae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
growing on the rock surfaces.