Biodiversity & Conservation

Couch's goby - Gobius couchi - General information

Gobius couchi

Image Pamela Tompsett - Gobius couchi showing the membrane free rays on the upper pectoral fin. Image width ca 15 cm.
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Distribution map

Gobius couchi recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

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  • WC_Act_1981

General information

Key Icon Researched by: Karen Riley Text page icon Refereed by: Prof. Robert Patzner

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy

Phylum Chordata Sea squirts, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals
Class Actinopterygii Ray-finned fish, e.g. sturgeon, eels, fin fish, gobies, blennies, and seahorses
Map icon Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland This species has only been recorded from four locations in the British Isles: Helford in south Cornwall; Bill of Portland, Dorset; Lough Hyne, Co. Cork, Ireland; and Mulroy Bay, Co. Donegal, Ireland.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Gobius couchi is found in the lower intertidal and inshore waters, under stones or algae on sheltered muddy sand.
Text page icon Description Gobius couchi is a typically shaped goby, reaching a maximum of 9 cm in length. It is fawn brown to grey in colour with dark markings on its back. There is a deeper-than-long dusky patch at the upper base of the pectoral fin and five dark lateral blotches. It is also found with one, or sometimes two dark spots on the cheeks. There are 35-45 rows of scales along the sides, from the pectoral fin to the tail fin.

This review can be cited as follows:

Karen Riley 2005. Gobius couchi. Couch's goby. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 18/06/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=3397>