The Common Intertidal Gobies around the British Isles.

Two small sandy coloured gobies of shallow sandy pools and estuaries:

Common Goby   Pomatoschistus microps

Common Goby

Scientific Name:
Pomatoschistus microps
Family: Gobiidae

Usual Size:  64 mm

Identification:
Small goby (a family of small fishes with a notorious reputation of being difficult to differentiate, characterised by a pair of dorsal fins, and a pelvic fin fused into a weak suction cup).
Sandy colour, but not so long as the similar species Pomatoschistus minutus. In breeding coloration the male fish has a dark blotch at the rear of the first dorsal fin. Only experienced rockpoolers are likely to be able to separate these species in the wild.

Similar Species:
Sand Goby, Pomatoschistus minutus.

Breeding:
Spring. May lay eggs up to five times under a shell. Male guards the eggs. Life span 12 - 15 months only.

Habitat:  Sandy shallows, intertidal with shallow sandy pools, estuaries in summer.

Food:
Small crustaceans like caprellids, worms.

Range:
All British coasts.

Additional Notes:
Abundant.

Sand Goby Pomatoschistus minutus

Scientific Name:
Pomatoschistus minitus
Family: Gobiidae

Usual Size:  94 mm

Identification:
Small goby (a family of small fishes with a notorious reputation of being difficult to differentiate, characterised by a pair of dorsal fins, and a pelvic fin fused into a weak suction cup).
Sandy colour but longer* than the similar species Pomatoschistus microps. In breeding coloration the male fish has an  occelated spot at the rear of the first dorsal fin. Only experienced rockpoolers are likely to be able to separate these species in the wild.

*distance from the last second dorsal fin ray to the tail fin is proportionately greater than in P.microps.

Similar Species:
Common Goby, Pomatoschistus microps.
Breeding:
Summer.

Habitat:  Sandy shallows, intertidal with shallow sandy pools, estuaries in autumn.

Food:
Small crustaceans like caprellids, worms.

Range:
All British coasts, North Sea, Mediterranean.

Additional Notes:
Abundant.

Two medium sized gobies of large pools and under rocks

Black Goby Gobius niger

Rock Goby Gobius paganellus

Small goby of the weedy pools

Two-spotted Goby  Gobiusculus flavescens

Photograph by Luke Richards (Isle of Wight)

Gobiusculus flavescens, Two-spotted Goby. Photographed with great difficulty at Tjärnö Aquarium by Mike Noren.

A photograph of a shoal of 2-Spot Gobies by Paul Parsons.

Small goby, abundant offshore and occasionally stranded in pools.

Two black spots can be seen clearly on the transparent boby, one near the head and one near the tail fin.

Other gobies that are rarely found:

Giant Goby Gobius cobitis

Their rarity in Britain is because they are on the northern edge of their natural distribution based on water temperature for breeding. In the south, probably because they are eaten or go into bouillabaisse. Also, their bathymetric zone is probably in shallow water, and not normally intensively fished, and not encountered by rockpoolers except on the low spring tides, or under rocks too large to shift.

Reports:

5 August 2011

I found two Giant Gobies, Gobius cobitus.  at Roskilley, south of Newlyn; in a small middleshore pool, 100cm x 100cm (open space), no green algae cover, but there was a very deep crevice under a large rock. On watching them I was amazed at how rapidly they can change colour from dark brown to olive green depending on the bottom / from shade to light. They were both easily teased out their hole with a little mackerel flake.
 
 

1 February 2010
 

On going back up Marazion Beach, south Cornwall, as the tide turned (on the lowest tide of the year) my partner and I looked around some uppershore pools and discovered five Giant Gobies, Gobius cobitus. in three small pools. They averaged about 18 cm in length.

September 2009
A Giant Goby, Gobius cobitus, was photographed in a rockpool at Gerrans, south Cornwall.

27 September 2008
I was fishing near Treyarnon Bay south of Padstow, Cornwall, and caught a Giant Goby, Gobius cobitus. I have been fishing for 30 odd years and have not seen the like of it before. It was about 20 cm long and its identity was confirmed from internet image searches. It was safely unhooked and returned to the sea.

26 July 2008

I found a Giant Goby, Gobius cobitus, in a rockpool at Portholland beach, south Cornwall. I wasn't sure exactly what it was as it was so large, although I knew it was a goby! Having googled the subject I was interested to see which type it was, and that they appear to  be protected. This one was in rude health, and was released of course following some photography. I didn't have the good fortune to have a ruler with me but would estimate the fish to be approx 20 cm long.  I have been an avid rockpooler for 40 years and I have never seen one before.

31 January 1998:
A Giant Goby, Gobius cobitus, was discovered by Jon Makeham at Hannafore Point, Looe, in southern Cornwall. It was found sheltering underneath a piece of Japweed, Sargassum muticum, on the middle shore. This large goby at 25 cm long, is at the northern edge of its range in the SW of Britain and is rarely found between the tides.

This goby is now a protected species (since 1998).

Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, Species Protection

Schedule 5
Protection for wild animals on Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act
Section 9
  Part 1 intentional killing, injuring, taking
  Part 2 possession or control (live or dead animal, part or derivative)
  Part 4 (a) damage to, destruction of, obstruction of access to any structure or place used by a scheduled animal for shelter or protection
  Part 4 (b) disturbance of animal occupying such a structure or place
  Part 5 (a) selling, offering for sale, possessing or transporting for the purpose of sale (live or dead animal, part or derivative)
  Part 5 (b) advertising for buying or selling such things
 
 

19 April 2003
The discovery of a Giant Goby, Gobius cobitis, found in a rockpool above the half tide mark at Les Écréhous, Jersey, was a notable discovery. This goby is a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act Schedule 5. It has always been known from the shores of Jersey but it is virtually unknown on the northern English Channel coasts with occasional records from Cornwall only. As it name indicates this goby is a 'giant' amongst the Gobiidae, a family of small fishes. The Giant Goby attains lengths of up to 25 cm.
English Nature & MBA articles on Giant Gobies (the link no longer works)
Marlin on the Giant Goby

14 March 2003
I have photographed a Giant Goby at Pendennis Point, Falmouth, Cornwall.
Another Image (Link)

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Painted Goby Pomatoschistus pictus

This goby is common in some areas below low tide mark, and conceivably could be discovered betweeen the tides, but few reports of this fish from the shore have been received by the BMLSS. Jim Hall reports this fish on very low tides from Tenby, SW Wales. There are frequent reports from divers from NE Scotland to Devon, so the fish must be widespread below low water mark.

Pomatoschistus pictus Painted Goby. Note the two dark band on the dorsal fin. Size about 2.5cm. Photographed at Tjärnö Aquarium by Mike Noren.

Couch's Coby   Gobius couchii

This goby with a local distribution is so similar to Gobius niger that I cannot distinguish the species.

Crystal Goby  Crystallogobius linearis

A photograph of this pelagic goby can be found on the following web site:

Lesuerigobius friesii have been reported living with the Scampi Prawn, Nephrops norvegicus, in the same burrows.

Norwegian Marine ***

Lebetus goby (pic.)

Differences between Blennies & Gobies
British Blennidae
BMLSS Fish page
Dr Peter Miller (Homepage)
Mediterranean Gobies (including British species) by Robert Patzner

Gobies and Blennies Photographic Portfolio
(Marine Wildlife of the North-east Atlantic Ocean Group)