Sufflogobius bibarbatus
Encyclopedia
The Bearded Goby or Pelagic Goby (Sufflogobius bibarbatus is a fish
in the family
Gobiidae. Its genus
Sufflogobius is monotypic
.
is demersal, inhabiting depths of 0–340 m (0–1,115.5 ) in subtropical waters ranging from 11–15 °C (51.8–59 F). Its range is the Eastern Atlantic, by Namibia and South Africa.
The bearded goby is usually found offshore but was also recorded in shore pools. Juveniles are epipelagic, while adults migrate to deeper waters, and large adults are only recorded from demersal trawls.
The gobies can stay on the ocean floor for at least 10 to 12 hours at a time, a de-oxygenated "toxic sludge" rich in hydrogen sulfide
where hardly anything lives except bacteria
and nematodes When settled on the bottom, they remain alert, showing rapid escape responses. They use the toxic mud as a refuge. Their population is growing despite the fact that they are now the main prey species in this unusual ecosystem.
amongst the jellies' stinger-covered tentacle
s when it rises from the seafloor for nighttime feeding.
s, Cape cormorant
s, and fur seals and jellies eat this fish.
This goby hides from predators within jelly tentacles when it rises to feed and reoxygenate its blood.
Although targeted by purse seines, it may also be caught incidentally in trawls
.
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Gobiidae. Its genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Sufflogobius is monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
.
Description
It reaches a maximum length of 17 centimetres (6.7 in). It has 7 dorsal spines and 12-13 dorsal soft rays. It has a single anal spine and 12-13 anal soft rays. Its fins are dusky to black in color.Range and habitat
This gobyGoby
The gobies form the family Gobiidae, which is one of the largest families of fish, with more than 2,000 species in more than 200 genera. Most are relatively small, typically less than 10 cm in length...
is demersal, inhabiting depths of 0–340 m (0–1,115.5 ) in subtropical waters ranging from 11–15 °C (51.8–59 F). Its range is the Eastern Atlantic, by Namibia and South Africa.
The bearded goby is usually found offshore but was also recorded in shore pools. Juveniles are epipelagic, while adults migrate to deeper waters, and large adults are only recorded from demersal trawls.
The gobies can stay on the ocean floor for at least 10 to 12 hours at a time, a de-oxygenated "toxic sludge" rich in hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless, very poisonous, flammable gas with the characteristic foul odor of expired eggs perceptible at concentrations as low as 0.00047 parts per million...
where hardly anything lives except bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
and nematodes When settled on the bottom, they remain alert, showing rapid escape responses. They use the toxic mud as a refuge. Their population is growing despite the fact that they are now the main prey species in this unusual ecosystem.
Feeding
In 2010 was observed to feed on a species of jellyfish which was understood to be its main predator. Jellies provide up to 1/3 of the fish's diet. It hides from mackerelMackerel
Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. They may be found in all tropical and temperate seas. Most live offshore in the oceanic environment but a few, like the Spanish mackerel , enter bays and can be...
amongst the jellies' stinger-covered tentacle
Tentacle
A tentacle or bothrium is one of usually two or more elongated flexible organs present in animals, especially invertebrates. The term may also refer to the hairs of the leaves of some insectivorous plants. Usually, tentacles are used for feeding, feeling and grasping. Anatomically, they work like...
s when it rises from the seafloor for nighttime feeding.
Predation
Fishes, penguinPenguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
s, Cape cormorant
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
s, and fur seals and jellies eat this fish.
This goby hides from predators within jelly tentacles when it rises to feed and reoxygenate its blood.
Although targeted by purse seines, it may also be caught incidentally in trawls
Trawling
Trawling is a method of fishing that involves pulling a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats. The net that is used for trawling is called a trawl....
.