New 🐟 Mercury Safety Guide & Omega-3 Rankings Updated for 2026. View Omega-3 Rankings →

🌊 Marine Least Concern 🐠 Aquarium 🌡️ Temperate

Incognito goby

Gobius incognitus Kovačić & Šanda, 2016
Max Length
9.5 cm
Max Weight
-
Lifespan
-
Trophic Level
3.2
Depth
0–12 m
Climate
Temperate
Resilience
High
Vulnerability
23.00/100
Typical Length
-
Depth Zone
-

📖 Overview

Collected from just below the water surface (north Adriatic Sea) down to 12 m in depth (Israel). The depth range in Israel (4-12 m) was deeper compared with other areas (Adriatic 0-5 m, France 1.5-6 m, Crete 2-9 m). It occurs on all kinds of substrata: sand, gravel, cobbles, boulders and bedrock, but mostly on different combinations of mixed substratum which can be bare or covered to varying degrees by short thallus algae, Caulerpa prolifera and Cystoseira spp., or sea grasses Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa .

Scientific Name
Gobius incognitus
Authority
Kovačić & Šanda, 2016
Habitat
Marine
Climate
Temperate
Body Shape
Elongated
IUCN Status
LC
Max Length
9.5 cm
Depth Range
0–12 m
Trophic Level
3.2
Resilience
High
Vulnerability
23.00/100
Salinity
30–40 ppt

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13 - 14; Anal spines: 1; Anal soft rays: 12 - 13. This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following characters: scales in lateral series 51-59; predorsal scales 25-35; in adults, opercle with 10-16 scales; pectoral-fin rays 18-20; free tips on upper pectoral rays well developed and the first ray longer than two thirds of the entire ray length; pelvic fin disc is complete, its anterior membrane without lateral lobes; anterior oculoscapular canal with pore 'alpha' at rear of orbit; oculoscapular row x1 is not extending forwards to pore ß; suborbital row d is discontinuous with large gap below suborbital rows 3 and 4; eye diameter 1.08-1.32 in snout length; the pigment dots on the cheek are irregularly scattered or, if rows are visible, then additional dots or a third row are present across the middle of the cheek between the lower row starting anteriorly at the angle of mouth and the upper row that touches ventral margin of eye; upper mark on the P base single or doubled, reaching downwards to 8th-10th rays counting from the upper part of fin . G. incognitus differs from G. bucchichi by the following morphological characters: dots on the cheek irregularly scattered or, if rows are visible, then additional dots or a third row present across the middle of the cheek between the lower row starting anteriorly at the angle of mouth and the upper row that touches ventral margin of eye vs. 2 rows two rows of elongated dots on cheek without dots between them at the middle of the cheek, the lower row starting anteriorly at the angle of mouth and going posteriorly across cheek and opercle to pectoral-fin base, and the upper row starting at upper lips, going posterodorsally to touch ventral margin of eye and continuing behind eye; upper mark on the P base single or doubled, reaching downwards to 8th-10th rays counting from the upper end vs. upper mark on the P base single or doubled, reaching downwards to 6th to 7th rays counting from upper end; pectoral-fin rays 18-20 (rarely 18) vs. 17-18; free tips on upper pectoral rays well developed and the first ray longer than two thirds of the entire ray length vs. free tips on three upper pectoral rays moderately developed and the first ray shorter than half of the entire ray length; in adults, opercle with 10-16 scales vs. naked, rarely 2-4 scales may be visible; predorsal scales 25-35 (rarely 25) vs. 20-25 (rarely 25); suborbital row d is discontinuous with large gap below suborbital rows 3 and 4 vs. suborbital row d continuous; eye diameter 1.08-1.32 in snout length vs. eyes larger and snout shorter with eye diameter 0?82–1?04 in snout length) .: elongated; Cross section: compressed.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Incognito goby is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

aquatic invertebrates
small fish
algae
detritus

🥚 Reproduction

🐣 Oviparous 📦 Batch Spawner
Spawning Season
spring-summer
Spawn Location
Pelagic
Fertilization
External

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; benthopelagic; depth range 0 - 12 m . Temperate

🌿 Ecology

Zone Preferences
🌊 Marine
Trophic Level
3.2±0.2

📐 Morphometrics

Length–Weight Relationship: W = 0.00813 × L3.08 (TL)
Max TL
9.5cm
Dorsal Spines
7
Dorsal Rays
14
Anal Spines
1
Anal Rays
13

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

Salinity Range
30–40ppt

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

IUCN Category
Least Concern
Assessment Date
2024

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

Population Resilience
High
Minimum doubling time
Fishing Vulnerability
23.00/100
Low vulnerability
Trophic Level
3.2
Predator
Body Shape
Elongated
Climate Zone
Temperate
Described By
Kovačić & Šanda, 2016

👥 Community & Contribute

Aquareap Community Observations
0 Observations logged on Aquareap

No observations yet - be the first to log one!

View all observations for Incognito goby ↗
Suggest an Edit

Spotted incorrect or outdated data? Submit a correction and our editorial team will review it. Approved edits go live within 48 hours.

Link to a scientific paper, FishBase, or other authoritative source
Report an Issue

Found a factual error, broken data, or inappropriate content? Let us know and we will investigate promptly.