Caspian bighead goby (Ponticola gorlap)

Scientific name: Ponticola gorlap Iljin, 1949

Caspian bighead goby (Ponticola gorlap)

The Caspian bighead goby (Ponticola gorlap) is a freshwater fish of the family Gobiidae.

Biology

This species is distinguished from its congeners in the Caspian Sea basin by the following characters: 75-95 % of distance between its origin and anus; ctenoid scales completely cover predorsal area and nape; pelvic disc fraenum with angular lobes, fraenum length 1/6-1/2 of its width at base; scales in midlateral series 68-72 + 3-4; snout length 1.5-1.6 times in eye diameter; interorbital distance 0.8-0.9 times eye diameter; first branched ray of second dorsal about as long as penultimate ray; posterior part of first dorsal without black spot. This species is different from N. kessleri in the area in having a distinctive karyotype, some osteological characters and cycloid scales on opercle and anterior part of the nape (vs. ctenoid).

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Ponticola gorlap
Family
Gobiidae (Gobies)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
20.0
Common length
12.0
Environment
Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal
Climate
Temperate
Distribution
Eurasia: Caspian Sea; in Volga upriver to Astrakhan until 1977, spreaded out to Lakes Ivankovskoje and Rybinskoje (2000); invaded Don drainage (Black Sea basin) through Volga-Don canal (first record in 1972). Abundant in Lake Tsimlyansk and lower Don.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries:
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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