Biodiversity & Conservation

Leopard-spotted goby - Thorogobius ephippiatus

Thorogobius ephippiatus

Image Paul Newland - Closeup of the Leopard Spotted Goby, Thorogobius ephippiatus. Image width ca XX cm
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Distribution map

Thorogobius ephippiatus 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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Thorogobius ephippiatus is not listed under any importance categories.

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy Taxon English term
Phylum Chordata Sea squirts, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals
Class Actinopterygii Ray-finned fish, e.g. sturgeon, eels, fin fish, gobies, blennies, and seahorses
Authority (Lowe, 1839)
Recent synonyms None
Map icon Recorded Distribution in Britain and Ireland Wide-spread around the coasts of England except for the east coast most likely due to a lack of suitable habitat.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Lives in fissures of steep rock faces inshore or a short distance offshore. They also live in sheltered estuaries and sea lochs. Their depth distribution ranges from low water of spring tides to about 40 m. Some individuals may be found in deeper rockpools.
Text page icon Description The leopard-spotted goby is around 12-13 cm long. It is a pale fawn or light brown colour, with distinctive orange, red or black spots all over its head and body. It has two dorsal fins, with a distinctive black spot at the rear of the first dorsal fin. The eyes are close set near the top of the head and the mouth has the characteristic thick lips of the goby family. Some individuals may have a whitish edge to the dorsal and anal fins.
Identifying features
  • Light brown with orange, red or black spots all over the head and body.
  • A black spot on the rear of the first dorsal fin.
  • Around 12-13 cm in length.
  • Mouth has characteristic thick lips.
  • Close set eyes near the top of the head.
Additional information icon Additional information The leopard-spotted goby is a shy and retiring species. It is normally found by divers on the ledges in front of their home cave or fissure, or at the base of a large stable boulder with underboulder holes available for cover. They prefer shady, darker areas and feed mainly on small amphipod crustaceans and worms.

The fish is not caught by remote methods and, when the species was first found by divers in the Plymouth area in 1956, it was thought to be new to science and is listed as Gobius sp. in the Plymouth Marine Fauna (MBA, 1957).

This review can be cited as follows:

Catherine MacDougall 2002. Thorogobius ephippiatus. Leopard-spotted goby. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 25/05/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=4463>