Sand goby
Encyclopedia
For the unrelated goby family see Kraemeriidae
.
The sand goby (Pomatoschistus minutus), also known as a polewig or pollybait, is a coast
al goby
of Europe
an waters from the Baltic
to the Mediterranean Sea
, frequenting sandy areas, Littoral zones, lagoon
s, salt marsh
es and, in autumn, estuaries
. It grows up to 94mm in length.
The sand goby is of a sandy colour, with darker markings on the sides and a creamy-white underside. In the breeding season the male fish has blue spot at the rear of the first dorsal fin
, ringed with white. The fish has a slender body, and the head is about a quarter of the total length.
It breeds in the summer, laying its eggs under shells and rocks, which the male guards. Its lifespan is between 15–18 months. Its main diet is skeleton shrimp
and worm
s.
Kraemeriidae
The sand darters, family Kraemeriidae, are a small family of fishes containing eight species in two genera in the order Perciformes.Sand darters live in sandy shallow pools. They are found among coral. In breeding coloration the male fish has an occelated spot at the rear of the first dorsal fin....
.
The sand goby (Pomatoschistus minutus), also known as a polewig or pollybait, is a coast
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
al goby
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...
of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an waters from the Baltic
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
to the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, frequenting sandy areas, Littoral zones, lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
s, salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
es and, in autumn, estuaries
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
. It grows up to 94mm in length.
The sand goby is of a sandy colour, with darker markings on the sides and a creamy-white underside. In the breeding season the male fish has blue spot at the rear of the first dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
, ringed with white. The fish has a slender body, and the head is about a quarter of the total length.
It breeds in the summer, laying its eggs under shells and rocks, which the male guards. Its lifespan is between 15–18 months. Its main diet is skeleton shrimp
Skeleton shrimp
Skeleton shrimp are marine crustaceans of the infraorder Caprellida. The name denotes the threadlike slender body which allows them to virtually disappear among the fine filaments of seaweed, hydroids and bryozoans.-Ecology:...
and worm
Worm
The term worm refers to an obsolete taxon used by Carolus Linnaeus and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals, and stems from the Old English word wyrm. Currently it is used to describe many different distantly-related animals that typically have a long cylindrical...
s.