Ponticola kessleri, Bighead goby : fisheries

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Ponticola kessleri (Günther, 1861)

Bighead goby
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Ponticola kessleri
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Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Gobiiformes (Gobies) > Gobiidae (Gobies) > Gobiinae
Etymology: More on author: Günther.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; brackish; benthopelagic. Temperate; 4°C - 20°C (Ref. 2059); 50°N - 43°N, 26°E - 52°E

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Europe and Asia: Danube delta (Braila, Lake Brates); Lakes Kagul, Yalpukh, Katlabukh, Kitai. Dniester from the liman to the region of Kamentes-Podol'sk. Dnieper to Dnepropetrovsk; Odessa and all coasts of the Caspian Sea; and Volga at Astrakhan. Absent from the Sea of Azov. In Ref. 92840, it reported that this species reached the North Sea basin through an artificial waterway connecting the Danube with the Rhine (well-documented) and within 4 years, the species colonized all suitable riverhabitats downstream of the invasion site.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 22.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 556)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

This species is distinguished from related species in the Black Sea basin by the following characters: 75-95 % of distance between its origin and anus; ctenoid scales completely cover predorsal area and nape; pelvic disc fraenum with angular lobes, fraenum length 1/6-1/2 of its width at base; scales in midlateral series 68-72 + 3-4; snout length 1.5-2.0 times in eye diameter; first branched ray of second dorsal about as long as penultimate ray; posterior part of first dorsal without black spot (Ref. 59043).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Usually in freshwater and brackish water with very low salinity (< 2 ppt); in lower rivers and lagoons, lakes, large rivers, harbours on rocky or well-vegetated bottom (reed thickets) in still waters as well as rapids. Initial spawning at 2 years, in March to May, where adhesive eggs are deposited on stones, shells and aquatic plants; while males guard the eggs until hatching. (Ref. 59043). Feeds on crustaceans (mysids, corophiid amphipods) and small fish (gobies) (Ref. 4696).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Adhesive eggs deposited on stones, shells and aquatic plants. Males guard eggs until hatching. (Ref.59043).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Kottelat, M., 1997. European freshwater fishes. An heuristic checklist of the freshwater fishes of Europe (exclusive of former USSR), with an introduction for non-systematists and comments on nomenclature and conservation. Biologia, Bratislava, 52/Suppl. 5:1-271. (Ref. 13696)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 05 March 2010

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Common names
Synonyms
Metabolism
Predators
Ecotoxicology
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Spawning aggregation
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development
Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Recruitment
Abundance
BRUVS
References
Aquaculture
Aquaculture profile
Strains
Genetics
Electrophoreses
Heritability
Diseases
Processing
Nutrients
Mass conversion
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Pictures
Stamps, Coins Misc.
Sounds
Ciguatera
Speed
Swim. type
Gill area
Otoliths
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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Alien/Invasive Species database | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | National databases | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5001   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01023 (0.00477 - 0.02194), b=3.02 (2.84 - 3.20), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.5   ±0.53 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Low vulnerability (12 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Very high.