''Luciogobius'' is a genus of goby in the

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 subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

of Gobionellinae, commonly called worm gobies. It is distributed along the coast of northeastern Asia, where species can be found in Korea,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, Taiwan, and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. Most species occur in Japan, and several are endemic.Kanagawa, N., et al. (2011)
Two new species of freshwater gobies of the genus ''Luciogobius'' (Perciformes: Gobiidae) from Japan.
''Bull Kanagawa Prefect Mus (Nat Sci)'' 40, 67-74. These gobies are unusual in appearance and habitat preference. They are small fish, about long, with very elongated bodies. The vertebral column is flexible and finely segmented, with many more vertebrae than most other fish in the family; they have up to 50 vertebrae, whereas most gobies have about 26. This extra-segmented spine helps ''Luciogobius'' species burrow in their common habitat,

gravel Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gravel is classifi ...

beaches. Most vertebrates would have difficulty living in gravel that is constantly stirred by tidal action, but the flexibility of the bodies of ''Luciogobius'' is likely an

adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...

to this environment. They also lack scales and the first dorsal fin. Two species, ''L. albus'' and ''L. pallidus'', are cave-adapted and live in

anchialine An anchialine system (, from Greek ''ankhialos'', "near the sea") is a landlocked body of water with a subterranean connection to the ocean. Depending on its formation, these systems can exist in one of two primary forms: pools or caves. The primary ...

waters.Romero, Aldemaro, editor (2001). ''The Biology of Hypogean Fishes.'' Developments in Environmental Biology of Fishes. Other habitat types occupied by species in the genus include estuaries,

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

streams, and in the case of ''L. adapel'', the seafloor up to .Kondo, M., et al. (2012)
Spawning habitat and early development of ''Luciogobius ryukyuensis'' (Gobiidae).
''Environmental Biology of Fishes'' 95(2), 291-300. Most of the species studied spawn in the

intertidal zone The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species o ...

, but one species has been observed spawning in freshwater rivers. The eggs are generally attached to the undersides of rocks or are buried in the gravel or stone substrate.

Species

There are currently 16 recognized species in this genus. There are many more taxa known that are still undescribed, for a probable total of about 37 species. The described species are: * ''

Luciogobius adapel ''Luciogobius'' is a genus of goby in the subfamily of Gobionellinae, commonly called worm gobies. It is distributed along the coast of northeastern Asia, where species can be found in Korea, China, Taiwan, and Japan. Most species occur in Japan ...

'' Okiyama, 2001 * ''

Luciogobius albus ''Luciogobius albus'' is a species of goby endemic to Japan where it is found in fresh and brackish underground waters near the coasts. This species and its close relative '' L. pallidus'' are the only known cavefish in Japan.Romero, A., editor ...

Regan The family name Regan, along with its cognates O'Regan, O Regan, Reagan, and O'Reagan, is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin or Ó Ríogáin, from Ua Riagáin. The meaning is likely to have originated in ancient Gaelic ''ri'' ...

, 1940 * ''

Luciogobius ama ''Luciogobius'' is a genus of goby in the subfamily of Gobionellinae, commonly called worm gobies. It is distributed along the coast of northeastern Asia, where species can be found in Korea, China, Taiwan, and Japan. Most species occur in Japan ...

'' ( Snyder, 1909) * ''

Luciogobius brevipterus ''Luciogobius'' is a genus of goby in the subfamily of Gobionellinae, commonly called worm gobies. It is distributed along the coast of northeastern Asia, where species can be found in Korea, China, Taiwan, and Japan. Most species occur in Japan ...

'' J. S. T. F. Chen, 1932 * ''

Luciogobius dormitoris ''Luciogobius'' is a genus of goby in the subfamily of Gobionellinae, commonly called worm gobies. It is distributed along the coast of northeastern Asia, where species can be found in Korea, China, Taiwan, and Japan. Most species occur in Japan ...

'' Shiogaki & Dotsu, 1976 * ''

Luciogobius elongatus ''Luciogobius'' is a genus of goby in the subfamily of Gobionellinae, commonly called worm gobies. It is distributed along the coast of northeastern Asia, where species can be found in Korea, China, Taiwan, and Japan. Most species occur in Japan ...

'' Regan, 1905 * '' Luciogobius fluvialis'' Kanagawa, Itai &

Senou Senou is a small town and seat of the commune of Kemekafo in the Cercle of Dioila in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤 ...

, 2011 * ''

Luciogobius fonticola ''Luciogobius'' is a genus of goby in the subfamily of Gobionellinae, commonly called worm gobies. It is distributed along the coast of northeastern Asia, where species can be found in Korea, China, Taiwan, and Japan. Most species occur in Ja ...

'' Kanagawa, Itai & Senou, 2011 * '' Luciogobius grandis'' R. Arai, 1970 * ''

Luciogobius guttatus ''Luciogobius'' is a genus of goby in the subfamily of Gobionellinae, commonly called worm gobies. It is distributed along the coast of northeastern Asia, where species can be found in Korea, China, Taiwan, and Japan. Most species occur in Japan ...

'' T. N. Gill, 1859 (flat-headed goby) * ''

Luciogobius koma ''Luciogobius'' is a genus of goby in the subfamily of Gobionellinae, commonly called worm gobies. It is distributed along the coast of northeastern Asia, where species can be found in Korea, China, Taiwan, and Japan. Most species occur in Japan ...

'' (Snyder, 1909) * ''

Luciogobius pallidus ''Luciogobius pallidus'' is a species of goby endemic to Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the ...

'' Regan, 1940 * '' Luciogobius parvulus'' (Snyder, 1909) * '' Luciogobius platycephalus'' Shiogaki & Dotsu, 1976 * '' Luciogobius ryukyuensis'' I. S. Chen,

T. Suzuki T is the twentieth letter of the Latin alphabet. (For the same letterform in the Cyrillic and Greek alphabets, see Te and Tau respectively). T may also refer to: Codes and units * T, Tera- as in one trillion * T, the symbol for "True" in lo ...

& Senou, 2008Chen, I. S., et al. (2008)
A new species of gobiid fish, ''Luciogobius'' from Ryukyus, Japan (Teleostei: Gobiidae).
''Journal of Marine Science and Technology'' 16(4), 250-54. * '' Luciogobius saikaiensis'' Dotsu, 1957

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1062118 Gobionellinae Taxonomy articles created by Polbot