Horned goby

📖 Overview

Collected on rubble-sand patches at the base of isolated coral blocks near the margin of Al Fahal reef in central Red Sea (near Thuwal, Saudi Arabia). Individulas were found living inside small holes in large pieces of dead coral rock covered with short algae at a depth of 8 m. Two other specimens were collected at a depth of 15 m in May 2017 at the same locality. Also observed in other localities at depths of about 5 m .

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Vertebrae: 27. This species is distinguished by the following characters: unpaired horn-like tentacle at the level of nostrils on the snout midline; snout has a steep profile from lateral view, very short about 0.4-0.5 of eye diameter; orbit is projecting forward and elevated, extending above dorsal profile of the head; posterior angle of the jaws extends behind vertical through posterior edge of eye; lower limb of first gill arch is joined to gill cover by a membrane; caudal peduncle is deep and short, 0.8-0.9 of body depth at anal-fin origin, with caudal-peduncle depth slightly to distinctly greater than its length; segmented caudal-fin rays 17; pelvic fins are completely separated, no frenum; head and body are completely scaleless; head no canals; preorbital rows r, s, s3 each reduced to a single papilla; without suborbital sensory papillae rows a and b; presence of four very short transverse suborbital rows of sensory papillae (1-4), row 1 oblique, reaching upper lip, row 2 distant from eye and close to row d, rows 3 and 4 are close to posteroventral edge of eye and distant from row d, row d is short; oculoscapular rows are reduced to rows x1, x2, z, as1, as2, with only x1 having more than 2 papillae; dorsal-fin pterygiophore insertion pattern 3-22110; vertebrae: 10 precaudal + 17 caudal; hypurals 1-2 and 3-4 are not fused, distinctly separate along entire length; two anal-fin pterygiophores inserted anterior to haemal arch .Cross section: compressed.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Horned goby is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

Diet information for Horned goby is currently being compiled.

🥚 Reproduction

Reproduction data for Horned goby is currently being compiled.

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; demersal; depth range 5 - 15 m . Tropical Indian Ocean: Red Sea: northern part, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

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