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Goby ID

Started by Isaac Szabo , Mar 12 2014 03:01 PM

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9 replies to this topic

#1 Isaac Szabo

NANFA Member

Marble Falls, AR

Posted 12 March 2014 - 03:01 PM

Can anyone help ID this goby? I can't seem to find a good match. It was pretty small, around 2". It was in a freshwater spring in the St. Johns River drainage, Florida.

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#2 Isaac Szabo

NANFA Member

Marble Falls, AR

Posted 12 March 2014 - 07:27 PM

At this point, my best guess is Darter Goby Ctenogobius boleosoma or the very similar Freshwater Goby Ctenogobius shufeldti. Does anyone here have experience with these species?

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#3 Guest_Dustin_*

Guests

Posted 12 March 2014 - 08:37 PM

Fritz can likely ID it for you. If it were here, I would go with G. shufeldti but there are so many more choices in FL.

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#4 Isaac Szabo

NANFA Member

Marble Falls, AR

Posted 12 March 2014 - 08:55 PM

Thanks for your help Dustin. Hopefully I'll hear from Fritz as well.

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#5 Isaac Szabo

NANFA Member

Marble Falls, AR

Posted 12 March 2014 - 10:00 PM

While I'm at it, I should probably get confirmation on this one as well. I think I have identified it correctly as Clown Goby Microgobius gulosus, but it would be nice to run it by someone who has experience with these. It was in a spring in the Crystal River drainage, FL.

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#6 Guest_fritz_*

Guests

Posted 13 March 2014 - 09:10 AM

The second one is a clown goby. The first one - whew! It is not a darter or freshwater. darter has V-shaped markings on the back and the freshwater looks like a tessellated darter. I believe it's one of the Gobiosoma's based on the thin light bars and probably ginsburgi (seaboard) based on the black spots on the midline. But then I could be totally wrong. The black in the pectoral fin should be a diagnostic character but I don't have any reference books with me.

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#7 Isaac Szabo

NANFA Member

Marble Falls, AR

Posted 13 March 2014 - 05:36 PM

Thanks Fritz! I can see how it could be G. ginsburgi, though the bars are not as well-defined as they are in some of the reference photos I've seen. Also, my reference makes no mention of a dark spot on the pectoral fin. Still, it does seem to be a pretty good fit. Thanks again for your help!

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#8 Guest_Dustin_*

Guests

Posted 13 March 2014 - 06:18 PM

I'm used to seeing ginsburgi over mud rather than clear water and sand. I do see that bosc/ginsburgi pattern now though it is faded. That's why we ask the professionals. The gulosus even looks quite different from the ones I have seen.

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#9 Isaac Szabo

NANFA Member

Marble Falls, AR

Posted 13 March 2014 - 09:46 PM

Yes, from what I've read the habitat was not typical for ginsburgi. It was a large freshwater spring with mostly bare sand and a little aquatic vegetation in places. However, I found a couple of these gobies under some rocks, which does seem to fit for ginsburgi as I've read they are often associated with rocks or shells.