Transparent goby (Aphia minuta)

Scientific name: Aphia minuta Risso, 1810

Transparent goby (Aphia minuta)

The Transparent goby (Aphia minuta) is a brackish-water fish of the family Gobiidae. In the aquarium it needs water at 13–16°C (55–61°F). Native range: Atlantic Ocean, Trondheim to Morocco. Also known from the Mediterranean including Black Sea and the Azov Sea.

Transparent goby care at a glance

Temperature
13–16°C (55–61°F)

Biology

A neotenic, pelagic species inhabiting inshore and estuarine waters, over sand, mud and eel-grass. Feed on zooplankton, especially copepods, cirripede larvae and mysids. Spawn in summer in empty bivalve shells. Probably migrate to deeper water to spawn during summer. Adults die after breeding which does not qualify as a manifestation of semelparity but abbreviate iteroparity according to a recent study. Eggs are pear-shaped.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Aphia minuta
Family
Gobiidae (Gobies)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
7.9
Depth range
0–97 m (0–318 ft)
Environment
Marine; brackish; pelagic-neritic; oceanodromous; depth range 0 - 97 m, usually 5 - 80 m
Climate
Subtropical
Distribution
Atlantic Ocean: Trondheim to Morocco. Also known from the Mediterranean including Black Sea and the Azov Sea.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K>0.3; tm=1; tmax=1; Fec = 935)

Sources

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

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