Relevant synonyms Gobius lesueuri aegypticus Minictenogobiops sinaii Misidentification None Meristic formula D1, V-VII; D2, I+9-11; A, I+11-12; P, 13-15; LL, 24-28  drawing : Tuvia Kurz

SHORT DESCRIPTION Body elongated, becoming compressed from midpoint. Two dorsal fins. First dorsal spine elongated (in males). Second dorsal fin and anal fin long and opposite. Caudal and pectoral fins rounded. Pelvic fins united forming a complete sucking disk, originating under pectoral fin base. Head broad with convex snout. Eyes dorsolateral in position extending above profile contour. Mouth oblique with distinct lips. Maxilla reach back beneath rear of eye. Caniniform teeth arranged in jaws in 3-5 rows, larger in outer row. Most scales ctenoid, none on breast.color : body beige with series of dark blotches along midline and fine dots at dorsal fin base. size : common 2-4 cm (max. 5 cm). DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS From other gobiids: the arrangements of sub-orbital papilla. Balennidae, Tripterygiidae, Clinidae and Callionymidae: two separate pelvic fins. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY A small cryptic species feeding on small invertebrates, chiefly herpacticod copepods and nematodes. Long spawning season last from March to September peaking in May. Reach sexual maturity after less than a year when length is close to 20 mm. Gonochronistic species with sexual dimorphism. In males, first dorsal spine elongated. habitat : benthic. Shallow sandy shore to depth of 5 m.

1st MEDITERRANEAN RECORD Bardawil Lagoon, northern Sinai, Egypt, 1986*. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide : Northern Red Sea. Gulf of Aqaba, Gulf of Suez and the Suez Canal. Mediterranean : recorded first in Bardawil Lagoon, northern Sinai, Egypt (Miller and Fouda, 1986)*; successively recorded in Ashdod, Israel (Golani, 1998). * Note : recorded earlier by Ben-Tuvia 1979 as Gobius sp.). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Very common in the Bardawil Lagoon. speculated reasons for success : unknown. MODE OF INTRODUCTION Via the Suez Canal. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS None.

KEY REFERENCES Fouda M.N., 1995. Life history strategies of four small-size fishes in the Suez Canal, Egypt. Journal of Fish Biology, 46: 687-702. Fouda M.M., Hanna M.Y. and Fouda F.M., 1993. Reproductive biology of a Red Sea goby, Silhouetta aegyptia, and a Mediterranean goby, Pomatoschistus marmoratus, in Lake Timsah, Suez Canal. Journal of Fish Biology, 43: 139-151. Miller P.J. and Fouda M.M., 1986. Notes on the biology of a Red Sea goby Silhouetta aegyptia (Chabanaud, 1933) (Teleostei: Gobiidae). Cybium, 10: 395-409. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

Last update of the species sheet: April 2002 ©ciesm 2002