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Species ID & Info

Rock goby (Gobius paganellus)

The rock goby is a small, elongated fish with a large head and

big eyes growing up to 12cm. It is found on rocky sea beds in

shallow seas and is also commonly spotted in rock pools during

the summer months.

As its name suggests it is found in rocky areas, especially if they

have a lot of heavy weed cover. Rock Gobies can be  found all

around the coast of the British Isles. Colour is usually a dark

brown (sometimes with lighter speckles) although they can also

be almost black. The neck area lacks scales and there is a pale yellow to orange band on the top of the first dorsal fin.

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Giant goby (Gobius cobitis)

The giant goby is the UK’s  largest goby. It has relatively small and well spaced eyes, a short tail stalk and a deep body throughout its length. Greyish to olive brown in colour with 'pepper and salt' speckling. Dark blotches appear along and below the lateral midline. The edges of the dorsal, tail and anal fins are light greyish in colour. Breeding males are darker in colour than females. It can reach up to 27 cm in length.

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Leopard-spotted Goby (Thorogobius ephippiatus)

The leopard-spotted goby is probably the most easy to identify of the gobies that occur around Britain and Ireland. It is a moderately large goby, reaching a maximum length of 13cm. The coloration is very distinctive; it has a pale fawn body with conspicuous orange, brick-red or brownish-black spots all over the head and body, hence the common name. There is also a black spot near the rear edge of the first dorsal fin. Breeding males are darker in colour with a conspicuous light-pale blue edge to the dorsal and anal fins.

The leopard-spotted goby lives in ledges and crevices in vertical rock faces down to a depth of 40m. It is also occasionally found in deep rock pools on the low shore.

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