Adriatic dwarf goby

Description

The Adriatic dwarf goby is a small, translucent goby of the family Gobiidae reaching about 7 cm. The light-brown body bears a few dark spots; breeding males are brighter, with yellowish and dark markings. Like other gobies the pelvic fins are fused into a sucking disc. The species tolerates strongly varying salinity and lives mainly in brackish coastal lagoons, river deltas and estuaries of the Adriatic Sea and surroundings, in soft, vegetated water where few other fish thrive. Among the plants it searches for small zooplankton, insect larvae and small crustaceans. In spring and summer the male guards the eggs laid under a shell until they hatch. Because of its small size it has no fishery importance, but it is typical of the lagoon environment.