Lord's Tasmangoby, Tasmanogobius lordi Scott 1935

Other Names: Lord's Goby, Lord's Tasman Goby, Tasmanian Goby

Summary:

A pale brown goby with 9 small spots or blotches along the midside (many vertically elongate), similar markings along the back, a narrow black vertical bar from the eye to the rear of the jaws, a diffuse black spot behind the rear of the eye and another on the upper rear of the gill cover. Black spots form oblique lines on the dorsal fin, with wavy vertical grey bars on the caudal fin.

Cite this page as:

Gomon, M.F. & Bray, D.J. 2025, Tasmanogobius lordi in Fishes of Australia, accessed 27 Jun 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/480

Lord's Tasmangoby, Tasmanogobius lordi Scott 1935

More Info

Distribution	Endemic to Tasmania, on the northern coast between Duck River and Greens Beach, and on the south-eastern coast from the Derwent Estuary. Inhabits sandy or muddy estuaries and the lower reaches of freshwater streams.
Features	Dorsal fin VI-VIII; 13-16; Anal fin 12-14; Pectoral fin 17-19; Pelvic fin I, 5; Caudal fin (segmented rays) 17, (branched rays) 12-14; Gill rakers 1-2 + 6-8 = 8-10; Longitudinal scale count 10-24; Longitudinal count (anterior scale patch) 6-10, posterior scale patch 3-14; Vertebrae 12 + 17-19. Body slender, depth 9.7-10.6 in SL. Head short, length 3.9-4.2 in SL. Anterior nostril at end of short tube, about midway between upper margin of upper lip and eye, about 2 nostril diameters above upper lip; posterior nostril with raised rim, immediately before anterior margin of eye. Eye about equal to snout in adult. Mouth small and oblique; reaching to below middle of eye in male and below anterior quarter of eye in female; upper margin of upper jaw in line with middle of eye; teeth in upper jaw conical, those in outer row close-set; few smaller teeth anteriorly in second row; lower jaw teeth similar to upper jaw teeth, but with outer row teeth more wide-set; tongue tip truncate to slightly emarginate. Gill opening restricted to pectoral base. Head pores absent. Body partly scaled; small patch of vertically elongate scales behind pectoral-fin base on sides of belly, lateral line absent; isolated patch of few scales on caudal peduncle, sometimes extending forward in narrow wedge to under end of second dorsal fin; rest of body including pectoral base, prepelvic area and belly naked; scales mostly ctenoid. Two dorsal fins; first dorsal fin short-based with low rounded margin; all dorsal and anal fin rays usually segmented. Pectoral fin with rounded margin, reaching to point below middle of first dorsal fin. Pelvic fins fused to form large cup-shaped disc reaching to below end of first dorsal fin, well short of anus.
Size	To around 3.5 cm SL.
Colour	Transparent to pale brown, with row of about 9 small fawn markings along lateral midline, many vertically elongate; other fawn markings dorsally; thin black vertical bar from ventral margin of eye to posterior end of jaws; diffuse black spot behind posterior margin of eye and similar diffuse black mark on dorsoposterior margin of operculum. Fins mostly opaque; dorsal fins usually with black spots forming oblique lines, caudal fin sometimes with wavy vertical grey bars.
Feeding	papilla lines. Description. First dorsal fin VI-VIII, (3), VII(18), VTII(3). Second dorsal fin with 13-16 elements, (usually 15), typically all rays segmented. Anal fin with 12-14 elements, (usually 12-13), typically with all rays segmented. Longitudinal scale count 10-24; longitudinal count of anterior scale patch 6(3). 7( 1 ). 8(3), 9( I), 10(1); posterior scale patch 3(2). 4(2), 5(2), 8( 1 ). 9( 1 ). 1 4( 1 ). Gill rakers on outer face of first arch 1-2 + 6-8 = 8- 1 0; lower rakers 6(2). 8(2); total rakers 8(2). 9( 1 ). 10(1)- Segmented caudal rays 17(28); branched caudal rays 12-14, usually 13; upper unsegmented caudal rays 8(1), 9(5), 10(3), 11(2); lower unsegmented caudal ravs 8(3). 9(4), 10(2), 1 1(2). Vertebrae 12 + 17(2), 12 + 18(19), 12 + 19(3).
Biology	Females spawn demersal eggs.
Etymology	The species is "named in honour of the late Clive Errol Lord, Director of the Tasmanian Museum, and for fifteen years Secretary of the Royal Society of Tasmania, the most notable worker in systematic ichthyology since R.M. Johnston's time."
Species Citation	Tasmanogobius lordi Scott 1935, Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 1934: 56, figs 1–2, pl. 4(2). Type locality: Leven River, west Ulverstone, Tasmania.
Author	Gomon, M.F. & Bray, D.J. 2025
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Lord's Tasmangoby, Tasmanogobius lordi Scott 1935

References

Allen, G.R., Midgley, S.H. & Allen, M. 2002. Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 394 pp.

Hammer, M.P., Adams, M. & Foster, R. 2012. Update to the catalogue of South Australian freshwater fishes (Petromyzontida & Actinopterygii). Zootaxa 3593: 59-74.

Hoese, D.F. 1991. A revision of the temperate Australian gobiid (Gobioidei) fish genus Tasmanogobius with a comment on the genus Kimberleyeleotris. Memoirs of Museum Victoria 52(2): 361-376 figs 1-10 https://doi.org/10.24199/j.mmv.1991.52.13

Hoese, D.F. & Larson, H.K. 1980. Family Gobiidae: gobies. pp. 186-192 6 figs in McDowall, R.M. (ed.) Freshwater Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Sydney : A.H. & A.W. Reed 208 pp., figs, 32 pls.

Larson, H. & Goatley, C. 2025. Tasmanogobius lordi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T241151143A241151145. Accessed on 28 May 2025.

Larson, H.K. & Hoese, D.F. 1996. Family Gobiidae, subfamilies Gobiinae and Gobionellinae. pp. 220-228 in McDowall, R.M. (ed.) Freshwater Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Sydney : Reed Books 247 pp.

Last, P.R., Scott, E.O.G. & Talbot, F.H. 1983. Fishes of Tasmania. Hobart : Tasmanian Fisheries Development Authority 563 pp. figs.

McDowall, R.M. 1997. The evolution of diadromy in fishes (revisited) and its place in phylogenetic analysis. Rev. Fish Biol. Fish. 7(4): 443-462.

Merrick, J.R. & Schmida, G.E. 1984. Australian Freshwater Fishes Biology and Management. Sydney : J.R. Merrick 409 pp. figs 280 col. figs.

Scott, E.O.G. 1935. Notes on the gobies recorded from Tasmania, with description of a new genus. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 1934: 47-62 figs 1-2 pl. 4 See ref online, open access