Transparent goby

Transparent goby
Conservation status
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Gobiidae
Subfamily:	Gobiinae
Genus:	Aphia A. Risso, 1827
Species:	A. minuta
Binomial name
Aphia minuta (A. Risso, 1810)
Synonyms
For genus Aphia: Aphyogobius Whitley, 1931 Boreogobius T. N. Gill, 1863 Brachyochirus Nardo, 1844 Latrunculus Günther, 1861 For Species Aphia minuta: Atherina minuta A. Risso, 1810 Argentina aphia Rafinesque, 1810 (Ambiguous name) Gobius pellucidus Nardo, 1824 Aphya pellucida (Nardo, 1824) Brachyochirus pellucidus (Nardo, 1824) Aphia meridionalis A. Risso, 1827 Gobius albus Parnell, 1831-37 Gobius stuvitzii Düben, 1845 Brachyochirus aphya Bonaparte, 1846 Gobius pellucidus Kessler, 1859 (Ambiguous name)

Aphia minuta, the transparent goby, is a species of the goby native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean where it can be found from Trondheim, Norway to Morocco. It is also found in the Mediterranean, Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. It is a pelagic species, inhabiting inshore waters and estuaries. It can be found at depths of from the surface to 97 metres (318 ft), though it is usually found at 5 to 80 metres (16 to 262 ft), over sandy and muddy bottoms and also in eelgrass beds. This species can reach a length of 7.9 centimetres (3.1 in) TL. It is an important species to local commercial fisheries. It is currently the only known member of its genus.

Gastronomy

This fish is appreciated in Spain as part of the Andalusian, Catalonian and Valencian cuisines. In Andalusia, where they are called chanquetes it is traditionally served deep-fried, with fried eggs and roasted or fried pepper. Due to its rarity and high price, it is being commercially replaced by some species of Chinese noodlefishes, locally called chanquete chino (Chinese chanquete), Neosalanx tangkahkeii and Protosalanx hyalocranius.