Southern Longfin Goby, Favonigobius lateralis (Macleay 1881)


Other Names: Long Finned Goby, Long-finned Goby

A male Southern Longfin Goby, Favonigobius lateralis, at Marino Rocks, Adelaide, South Australia, January 2012 male. Source: David Muirhead / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:
A sandy brown goby with dark brown and white speckling above, pale below, a brown stripe from the eye to above the middle of the jaws, about 5 pairs of black spots on the midside, and often irregular, more or less vertical, narrow white lines on the belly and lower sides. The first dorsal fin of males is dark with a pale margin, and the first spine is elongate. 

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2020, Favonigobius lateralis in Fishes of Australia, accessed 08 Dec 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/116

Southern Longfin Goby, Favonigobius lateralis (Macleay 1881)

More Info


Distribution

Endemic to southern Australia from about Mallacoota, Victoria, to Denham, Western Australia, and throughout Tasmania. Inhabits sandy areas in estuaries and bays, often in association with seagrass beds.

Features

Dorsal fin VI + I, 9; Anal fin I, 9; Caudal fin (segmented rays) 17; Pectoral fin 15-17; Pelvic fin  I, 5.
Body slender, head broader than deep, cheeks not bulbose; eyes close together; gill opening on each side extending forward to below gill cover; mouth small, reaching to below front quarter of eyes. First dorsal fin of males dark with a pale margin, first spine elongate. 

Etymology

The specific name lateralis is from the Latin latus (= of the side, flank), presumably in reference to the large spots “along the middle of each side of the body”.

Species Citation

Gobius lateralis Macleay 1881, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. W. 1 5(4): 602. Type locality King George Sound, Western Australia.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2020

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Southern Longfin Goby, Favonigobius lateralis (Macleay 1881)

References


Gill, H.S. 1993. Description of a new genus of goby from southern Australia, including osteological comparisons with related genera. Records of the Western Australian Museum 16(2): 175-210. See ref online

Gill, H.S. & Miller, P.J. 1990. A new genus and species of goby from the Swan-Avon estuary, Western Australia, with a redescription of the genus Favonigobius Whitley, 1930. Records of the Western Australian Museum 14(4): 503-525 (described as Papillogobius punctatus) See ref online

Hoese, D.F. & Larson, H.K. 1994. Family Gobiidae. pp. 781-810, figs 690-714 in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs.

Hoese, D.F. & Larson, H.K. 2008. Family Gobiidae. pp. 749-773 in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.

Hoschke, A., Whisson, G. & Moore, G.I. 2019. Complete list of fishes from Rottnest Island. pp. 150-161, in Whisson, G. & Hoschke, A. (eds.) The Rottnest Island fish book. 2nd ed. Perth.

Hutchins, J.B. 1994. A survey of the nearshore reef fish fauna of Western Australia's west and south coasts — The Leeuwin Province. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 46: 1-66 figs 1-6

Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp.

Hutchins, J.B. & Thompson, M. 1983. The Marine and Estuarine Fishes of South-western Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 103 pp. 345 figs.

Hutchinson, N., Jenkins, G.P., Brown, A. et al. 2014. Variation with depth in temperate seagrass-associated fish assemblages in southern Victoria, Australia. Estuaries and Coasts 37: 801–814. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-013-9742-9

Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp.

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

Macleay, W.J. 1881. Descriptive catalogue of the fishes of Australia. Part 2. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 1 5(4): 510-629 pls 13-14 See ref at BHL

Whitley, G.P. 1930. Additions to the checklist of the fishes of New South Wales No. 3. The Australian Zoologist 6(2): 117-123 fig. 14

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37428005

Depth:0-10 m

Habitat:Sandy areas

Max Size:9 cm TL

Native:Endemic

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Species Maps

CAAB distribution map