Biodiversity & Conservation

Common goby - Pomatoschistus microps - General information

Pomatoschistus microps

Image Paul Naylor - Pomatoschistus microps on sand. Image width ca 7 cm.
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Distribution map

Pomatoschistus microps 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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  • Berne

General information

Key Icon Researched by: Karen Riley Text page icon Refereed by: Angus Jackson

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 The common goby is found along all British and Irish coasts.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Pomatoschistus microps is an extremely abundant fish in Britain. It is often found in tide-pools, estuaries, salt marshes and brackish land-locked lagoons. Although the common goby prefers open water areas of bare muddy or sandy sediment, it is often found amongst dense vegetation.
Text page icon Description The common goby is a small goby growing up to 6 cm in length. The top of the head, nape and throat are scaleless. It is grey or sandy in colour, often with darker blotches across the back and faint marks along the side of the body. There is also a dark area at the base of the pectoral fins and tail fin.

This review can be cited as follows:

Karen Riley 2003. Pomatoschistus microps. Common goby. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 26/05/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=4181>