Name: Blackeye goby
Scientific Name: Rhinogobiops nicholsii (Bean, 1882)
Family: Gobiidae
Group: Bony fish
Class: Fish
Size: 11-25 cm.
The blackeye goby is a territorial fish, which lives next to sandy and rocky bottoms, from the tidal zone up to about 100 m deep. In the small territory that it dominates, there is always a burrow, where it can shelter should it be bothered by some intruder. Its pelvic fins, which are modified into an adhesive disc, allow it to remain immobile on the bottom. During the courting season, the male prepares the nest and displays its fins to attract the female. All these gobies are born female and change into males when they grow to about 7 cm.
Photo by:
Abílio Leitão
Oceanário Location
Rocky reef of the Pacific
