Bay goby, finescale goby • Lepidogobius lepidus
{Lepis = scale, gobius = gudgeon; lepidus = pretty}
Identification
The bay goby is a nondescript little fish with a mottled, greyish, nearly transparent body. Like other gobies, its pelvic fins are fused together into a cone that the goby uses to prop itself up while sitting along the ocean bottom. Identification features include seven dorsal fin spines, very small scales, and a medium-sized mouth that extends to below the eye. The bay goby reaches 10 cm long.
Habitat & Range
The bay goby is found in open and sandy, muddy, or silty habitats. It camouflages well among stirred-up sediment when evading potential predators, and retreat into small holes in the sediment including those made by (and still containing) worms, geoducks, and mud shrimp. The bay goby may also be found around floats and docks, and among eelgrass or sea lettuce in soft-bottomed estuaries and tidal flats. Its inhabits the intertidal and subtidal to 200 m deep, from southeastern Alaska to central Baja California.
Similar Species
Given its lack of obvious distinguishing features, the bay goby may be easiest to differentiate from the arrow goby (Clevelandia ios) and blackeye goby (Rhinogobiops nicholsii) by the absence of their distinguishing features. The blackeye goby has bold black eyes, a black edge along its dorsal fin, and large scales. The arrow goby's jaw extends far past its eye, and its dorsal fin is smaller with 4 or 5 spines.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/117546-Lepidogobius-lepidus
The bay goby is a nondescript little fish with a mottled, greyish, nearly transparent body. Like other gobies, its pelvic fins are fused together into a cone that the goby uses to prop itself up while sitting along the ocean bottom. Identification features include seven dorsal fin spines, very small scales, and a medium-sized mouth that extends to below the eye. The bay goby reaches 10 cm long.
Habitat & Range
The bay goby is found in open and sandy, muddy, or silty habitats. It camouflages well among stirred-up sediment when evading potential predators, and retreat into small holes in the sediment including those made by (and still containing) worms, geoducks, and mud shrimp. The bay goby may also be found around floats and docks, and among eelgrass or sea lettuce in soft-bottomed estuaries and tidal flats. Its inhabits the intertidal and subtidal to 200 m deep, from southeastern Alaska to central Baja California.
Similar Species
Given its lack of obvious distinguishing features, the bay goby may be easiest to differentiate from the arrow goby (Clevelandia ios) and blackeye goby (Rhinogobiops nicholsii) by the absence of their distinguishing features. The blackeye goby has bold black eyes, a black edge along its dorsal fin, and large scales. The arrow goby's jaw extends far past its eye, and its dorsal fin is smaller with 4 or 5 spines.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/117546-Lepidogobius-lepidus
References
Froese, R. and Luna, S. M. Lepidogobius lepidus (Girard, 1858) Bay goby. FishBase. Accessed 06/11/2015.
Lamb, A. and Edgell, P. Coastal Fishes of the Pacific Northwest. Revised. (2010). Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. P. 104.
Lamb, A., and Hanby, B. (2005). Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest [electronic version]. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell (2015).
Froese, R. and Luna, S. M. Lepidogobius lepidus (Girard, 1858) Bay goby. FishBase. Accessed 06/11/2015.
Lamb, A. and Edgell, P. Coastal Fishes of the Pacific Northwest. Revised. (2010). Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. P. 104.
Lamb, A., and Hanby, B. (2005). Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest [electronic version]. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell (2015).