True gobies were a

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

, the Gobiinae, of the goby

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Gobiidae Gobiidae or gobies is a family (biology), family of bony fish in the order (biology), order Gobiiformes, one of the largest fish families comprising over 2,000 species in more than 200 genus, genera. Most of gobiid fish are relatively small, typ ...

, although the 5th edition of the ''

Fishes of the World ''Fishes of the World'' is a standard reference for the systematics of fishes. It was first written in 1976 by the American ichthyologist Joseph S. Nelson (1937–2011). Now in its fifth edition (2016), the work is a comprehensive overview of t ...

'' does not subdivide the Gobiidae into subfamilies. They are found in all

ocean The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to as ''oceans'' (the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Indian, Southern Ocean ...

s and a few

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

s and

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

s, but most live in warm waters. Altogether, the Gobiinae unite about 1149 described

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

in 160

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

, and new ones are still being discovered in numbers.

Description and ecology

They are usually mid-sized to small

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

es; some are very colorful, while others are cryptic. Most true gobies are less than 10 cm (4 in) long when fully grown. The largest species '' Glossogobius giuris'' can reach up to 50 cm (20 in); the smallest known species as of 2010, '' Trimmatom nanus'', is just about 1 cm in length when fully grown, making it one of the smallest

vertebrate Vertebrates () are animals with a vertebral column (backbone or spine), and a cranium, or skull. The vertebral column surrounds and protects the spinal cord, while the cranium protects the brain. The vertebrates make up the subphylum Vertebra ...

s. In many true gobies, the

pelvic fin Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral (belly) surface of fish, and are the lower of the only two sets of paired fins (the other being the laterally positioned pectoral fins). The pelvic fins are homologous to the hi ...

s have grown together into a suction cup they can use to hold on to substrate. Most have two

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates. Dorsal fins have evolved independently several times through convergent evolution adapting to marine environments, so the fins are not all homologous. They are found ...

s, the first made up from spiny fin rays, while the other has some spines in the front followed by numerous soft rays. They are most plentiful in the

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

and

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

regions, but as a group are almost

cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Internationalism * World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship * Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community * Cosmopolitan ...

marine ecosystem Marine ecosystems are the largest of Earth's aquatic ecosystems and exist in Saline water, waters that have a high salt content. These systems contrast with freshwater ecosystems, which have a lower salt content. Marine waters cover more than 7 ...

s. A few

tolerate

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...

water, and some – '' Padogobius'' and ''

Pomatoschistus ''Pomatoschistus'' is a genus of gobies native to fresh, brackish and marine waters of Europe, the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Species There are currently 14 recognized species in this genus: * ''Pomatoschistus anatoliae'' ...

'' species – even inhabit

fresh water Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salt (chemistry), salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include ...

. They are generally

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from the Ancient Greek word (), meaning "the depths". ...

as adults (the

spawn Spawn or spawning may refer to: * Spawning, the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals Arts, entertainment and media * Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise ** ''Spawn: Armageddon' ...

can distribute widely by

ocean current An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement of seawater generated by a number of forces acting upon the water, including wind, the Coriolis effect, breaking waves, cabbeling, and temperature and salinity differences. Depth contours, sh ...

s), only ''Sufflogobius bibarbatus'' is noted to be quite

pelagic The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean and can be further divided into regions by depth. The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or water column between the sur ...

throughout its life. Most inhabit some sort of burrow or crevice and are somewhat

territorial A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

. In some cases, they live in

symbioses Symbiosis (Ancient Greek : living with, companionship < : together; and ''bíōsis'': living) is any type of a close and long-term

crustacean Crustaceans (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquatic arthrop ...

s. The larger species are fished for food, in some cases on a commercial scale. Many Gobiinae species are popular

aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

fish. Especially popular are the colorful species, some of which are regularly traded. In general, the interesting behavior and bold habits make most true gobies seem attractive pets. However, their territoriality and because even the smallest species are fundamentally

carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose nutrition and energy requirements are met by consumption of animal tissues (mainly mu ...

and need living food to thrive make them not easy to keep (particularly compared to the related family

Eleotridae Eleotridae is a family of fish commonly known as sleeper gobies, with about 34 genera and 180 species. Most species are found in the tropical Indo-Pacific region, but there are also species in subtropical and temperate regions, warmer parts of t ...

). As typical for oceanic fishes, many Gobiinae tend to be almost impossible to breed in captivity, and some species have become rare from

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

and

overfishing Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish (i.e. fishing) from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally (i.e. the overexploitation of the fishery's existing Fish stocks, fish stock), resu ...

Genera

This subfamily contains about 160 genera and 1120 species: 2 - Gammogobius steinitzi 16-05-08 DSCF3229

Odondebuenia balearica 01-08-06 DSCF3527

* '' Aboma'' * ''

Acentrogobius ''Acentrogobius'' is a genus of gobies native to marine, fresh and brackish waters of the coasts of the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. ''Acentrogobius matsya'' is an otolith-based fossil species found in the Burdigalian (Miocene) Qu ...

'' * '' Afurcagobius'' * ''

Akko Acre ( ), known in Hebrew as Akko (, ) and in Arabic as Akka (, ), is a city in the coastal plain region of the Northern District of Israel. The city occupies a strategic location, sitting in a natural harbour at the extremity of Haifa Bay on ...

'' * '' Amblyeleotris'' * '' Amblygobius'' * '' Amoya'' * '' Anatirostrum'' * '' Ancistrogobius'' * '' Antilligobius'' * '' Aphia'' * '' Arcygobius'' * '' Arenigobius'' * '' Aruma'' * '' Asterropteryx'' * '' Aulopareia'' * '' Austrolethops'' * ''

Babka A babka, or an Ugat Shmarim (Hebrew: עוגת שמרים) is a sweet braided bread that originated in the Jewish communities of Poland and Ukraine. It is popular in Israel where it is known as a yeast cake. It is also popular in the Jewish dias ...

'' * '' Barbulifer'' * '' Barbuligobius'' * '' Bathygobius'' * '' Benthophiloides'' * '' Benthophilus'' * '' Bollmannia'' * '' Bryaninops'' * '' Buenia'' * '' Cabillus'' * '' Caffrogobius'' * '' Callogobius'' * '' Caspiosoma'' * '' Chriolepis'' * '' Chromogobius'' * '' Corcyrogobius'' * '' Coryogalops'' * ''

Coryphopterus ''Coryphopterus'' is a genus of gobies primarily found in the western Atlantic Ocean, although some species are found in the Indian Ocean, Indian and/or Pacific oceans. Species There are currently 14 recognized species in this genus: * ''Corypho ...

'' * '' Cristatogobius'' * '' Croilia'' * '' Cryptocentroides'' * '' Cryptocentrus'' * '' Crystallogobius'' * '' Cryptopsilotris'' * '' Ctenogobiops'' * '' Deltentosteus'' * '' Didogobius'' * '' Discordipinna'' * '' Dotsugobius'' * '' Drombus'' * '' Ebomegobius'' * '' Echinogobius'' * '' Economidichthys'' * '' Egglestonichthys'' * '' Ego'' * '' Elacatinus'' * '' Eleotrica'' * '' Evermannia'' * '' Eviota'' * '' Exyrias'' * '' Favonigobius'' * '' Feia'' * '' Fusigobius'' * '' Gammogobius'' * '' Ginsburgellus'' * '' Gladiogobius'' * '' Glossogobius'' * '' Gobiodon'' * '' Gobiopsis'' * '' Gobiosoma'' Tornabene, L. & Van Tassell, J.L. (2014): Redescription of the goby genus ''Gobiosoma'' (Teleostei: Gobiidae: Gobiosomatini), with the synonymy of the genus ''Enypnias''. ''Journal of Natural History, 48 (23-24): 1413-1437.'' * ''

Gobius ''Gobius'' is a genus of fish in the family (biology), family Gobiidae native to fresh water, fresh, brackish water, brackish and Marine ecosystem, marine waters of and around Europe, Africa and Asia. It contains the typical gobies, being the typ ...

'' * '' Gobiusculus'' * '' Gobulus'' * '' Gorogobius'' * '' Grallenia'' * '' Gymneleotris'' * '' Hazeus'' * '' Hetereleotris'' * '' Heterogobius'' * '' Heteroplopomus'' * '' Hyrcanogobius'' * '' Istigobius'' * '' Kelloggella'' * '' Knipowitschia'' * '' Koumansetta'' * '' Larsonella'' * ''

Lebetus ''Lebetus'' is a genus of gobies native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Species There are currently three recognized species in this genus: * '' Lebetus guilleti'' ( É. Le Danois, 1913) (Guillet's goby) * '' Lebetus patzneri'' Schliewen, Kovači ...

'' * '' Lesueurigobius'' * '' Lobulogobius'' * '' Lophiogobius'' * '' Lophogobius'' * '' Lotilia'' * '' Lubricogobius'' * '' Luposicya'' * '' Lythrypnus'' * '' Macrodontogobius'' * '' Mahidolia'' * '' Mangarinus'' * '' Mauligobius'' * '' Mesogobius'' * '' Microgobius'' * '' Millerigobius'' * '' Minysicya'' * '' Myersina'' * '' Nematogobius'' * '' Neogobius'' * '' Nes'' * '' Nesogobius'' * '' Obliquogobius'' * '' Odondebuenia'' * '' Ophiogobius'' * '' Oplopomops'' * '' Oplopomus'' * ''

Opua Opua is a locality in the Bay of Islands, in the sub-tropical Northland Region of New Zealand. It is notable as the first port for overseas yachts arriving in the country after crossing the Pacific Ocean. In the original 1870s plans for the to ...

'' * '' Padogobius'' * '' Palatogobius'' * '' Palutrus'' * '' Parachaeturichthys'' * '' Paragobiodon'' * '' Paratrimma'' * '' Pariah'' * '' Parkraemeria'' * '' Parrella'' * '' Pascua'' * '' Phoxacromion'' * '' Phyllogobius'' * '' Platygobiopsis'' * '' Pleurosicya'' * '' Polyspondylogobius'' * ''

'' * '' Ponticola'' * '' Porogobius'' * ''

Priolepis ''Priolepis'' is a genus of fish in the family (biology), family Gobiidae with a cosmopolitan Range (biology), distribution. Species There are currently 36 recognized species in this genus: * ''Priolepis agrena'' Richard Winterbottom (ichthyolog ...

'' * '' Proterorhinus'' * '' Psammogobius'' * '' Pseudaphya'' * '' Psilogobius'' * '' Psilotris'' * '' Pycnomma'' * '' Rhinogobiops'' * '' Risor'' * '' Robinsichthys'' * '' Signigobius'' * '' Silhouettea'' * '' Siphonogobius'' * '' Speleogobius'' * '' Stonogobiops'' * '' Sueviota'' * '' Sufflogobius'' * '' Thorogobius'' * '' Tigrigobius'' * '' Tomiyamichthys'' * '' Trimma'' * '' Trimmatom'' * '' Tryssogobius'' * '' Valenciennea'' * '' Vanderhorstia'' * '' Vanneaugobius'' * '' Varicus'' * '' Vomerogobius'' * '' Wheelerigobius'' * ''

Yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

'' * '' Yongeichthys'' * '' Zebrus'' * '' Zosterisessor''

References

Gobiidae Taxa named by Georges Cuvier {{Gobiidae-stub