BIOTIC

BIOTIC Species Information for Pomatoschistus minutus
All Taxonomy Biology Distribution Reproduction

Researched by	Karen Riley	Data supplied by	MarLIN
Refereed by	Dr Angus Jackson
General Biology
Growth form	Pisciform	Feeding method	Predator
Mobility/Movement	Swimmer Burrower	Environmental position	Demersal Epibenthic
Typical food types	Small polychaetes, cumaceans, amphipods and mysids.	Habit	Free living
Bioturbator		Flexibility	High (>45 degrees)
Fragility	Intermediate	Size	Small-medium(3-10cm)
Height		Growth Rate	Insufficient information
Adult dispersal potential	1km-10km	Dependency	Independent
Sociability	Gregarious
Toxic/Poisonous?	No
General Biology Additional Information	The sand goby usually remains inactive, except when feeding (Fonds & Veldhuis, 1973). Pomatoschistus minutus feeds on small polychaetes, cumaceans, amphipods and mysids. Depending on the bottom type, it has been noted to show colour adaptations (Aquascope, 2000b), and has also been noted to burrow into the sediment to avoid predators (Magnhagen & Forsgren, 1991). The sand goby is a small goby, reaching a maximum of 10 cm in length. Males are generally longer than females (Quignard et al., 1983). Growth is slower in winter in the Atlantic, and slower in the summer in the Mediterranean (Quignard et al., 1983). Larvae gradually spend more and more time on the bottom, and at a length of approximately 17-18 mm they are usually fully adapted to the benthic way of life. Although of no commercial importance itself, it is incidentally caught in abundance in French Mediterranean lagoons (Quignard et al., 1983).
Biology References	Quignard et al., 1983, Aquascope, 2000, Froese & Pauly, 2000(a), Miller, 1986, Fonds & Veldhuis, 1973, Magnhagen & Forsgren, 1991,