Painted goby

Painted goby
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Gobiidae
Subfamily:	Gobiinae
Genus:	Pomatoschistus
Species:	Pomatoschistus pictus
Binomial name
Pomatoschistus pictus (Malm, 1865)
Synonyms
Gobius pictus Malm, 1865 Gobius affinis Kolombatovic, 1891 Gobius minutus minor (non Heincke, 1880) Gobius reticulatus (non Eichwald, 1831) Gobius rhodopterus Günther, 1861 Pomatoschistus pictus adriaticus Miller, 1973 Pomatoschistus pictus pictus (Malm, 1865)

The Painted goby (Pomatoschistus pictus) is a small goby of Western European waters from Trondheimfjord to Spain, the Canary islands and is sometimes reported in the Mediterranean sea. Also mentioned in the Black Sea. It lives at depths between 1 and 55 metres, preferring a gravelly or sandy environment. Its young may sometimes be found in tide pools. It feeds on amphipods and copepods.

Description

Painted goby at Giglio Island
Tuscany, Italy.

The painted goby is a relatively small goby, only growing to 6 cm in length, although some may grow to 9.5 cm. It is fawn-brown, with a row of four double dark brown spots along the sides. The dorsal fin has rows of dark brown-black spots interspersed with bands of iridescent blue and pink.

External links

• Breeding sounds of the painted goby
• A good picture of a painted goby