PORT PHILLIP BAY


Southern Longfin Goby 

Favonigobius lateralis (Macleay, 1881)

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Meristics.
Dorsal fin spines/rays: VI; I, 9
Anal fin spines/rays: I, 9
Caudal fin rays: (segmented) 17
Pectoral fin rays: 15-17
Ventral fin spines/rays: I, 5
Lateral line: -

Interpreting fin count meristics.
Spines are in Roman numerals and soft rays are in Arabic numerals. Spines and rays that are continuous in one fin are separated by a comma. Fin sections are separated by semicolons.

Detailed descriptions of fin count and other meristics are in:
Gomon. M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds) (2008) Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.

Order level detail.
A large and highly diverse group of modern bony fishes many of which have a generalized perch like body form. Most have pelvic fins with one spine and 5 rays and the maxillary bone is excluded from the gape of the mouth. Interrelationships of the group are poorly understood and continue to be studied. They inhabit almost all aquatic habitats from high-altitude strams to the deep sea, although most are marine.

Family level detail.
Very large family representing almost 10% percent of all fish species. More than 230 genera and 1500 species are recognised worldwide, and there are more than 90 genera and 330 described species known from Australian waters.

Taxonomy

Phylum:
Chordata
Subphylum:
Craniata
Superclass:
Gnathostomata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Perciformes
Family:
Gobiidae
Genus:
Favonigobius
Species:
lateralis

General Description

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. Sandy brown, with dark brown and white speckling above, pale below; a brown stripe from eye to above middle of jaws; about 5 pairs of black spots on midside; belly and lower sides often with irregular, more or less, vertical thin white lines. First dorsal fin of males dark with a pale margin, first spine elongate. To 8 cm.

Habitat

On sandy bottoms in estuaries and bays, often in association with sea grass beds.

Seagrass meadows

Soft substrates

Distribution guide

Southern Australia, including western and central Victoria.

Species Group

Fishes › Gobies

Depth

Shallow (1-30 m)

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

8 cm

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Native to Australia

Identify

Conservation Status

  • DSE Advisory List : Not listed
  • EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
  • IUCN Red List : Not listed

Author

article author Bray, D.J.

Di Bray is a Senior Collection Manager of ichthyology at Museum Victoria.

Author

article author Gomon, M.F.

Dr. Martin Gomon is a Senior Curator of ichthyology at Museum Victoria.

citation

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. & Gomon, M.F., 2011, Southern Longfin Goby, Favonigobius lateralis, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 15 Jan 2025, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/6386

Text: creative commons cc by licence