BIOTIC

BIOTIC Species Information for Gobius cobitis
All Taxonomy Biology Distribution Reproduction

Researched by	Karen Riley	Data supplied by	MarLIN
Refereed by	Prof. Robert Patzner
Distribution and Habitat
Distribution in Britain & Ireland	The distribution of Gobius cobitis in Britain is restricted to the south-west coast of England, from Wembury to the Isles of Scilly.
Global distribution	Found in the eastern Atlantic, from the western English Channel to Morocco, the Mediterranean, the Black Sea (except north-west) and the Gulf of Suez.
Biogeographic range	Not researched	Depth range	Intertidal to up to 10m
Migratory	Insufficient information
Distribution Additional Information	The south-west coast of England represents the most northern limit of the giant goby's range. Gobius cobitis is common within its geographical limits. Often seen 'basking' in direct sun on exposed patches within pools. It feeds on Ulva spp., crustaceans and polychaetes. Sublittoral pools inhabited by Gobius cobitis usually contain large boulders with a crevice large enough to shelter beneath and are devoid of gravel or sand. However, Gibson (1970) recorded gravel and stones on the bottom of their rock pools and Faria et al. (1998) noted that they preferentially occupied mixed bottom and sandy substratum. Usually, there is fresh water draining into the rock pools inhabited by Gobius cobitis. Upper shore rock pools are likely to experience extremes in temperature, light levels and salinity. Despite previous records for Wembury and West Looe, Potts & Swaby (1992) found no Gobius cobitis within these areas and therefore assumed that populations had declined or were absent at that time. However, a record of Gobius cobitis was made at West Looe on 31 January 1998 by John Markham. Although there is no evidence that the species is endangered, it is potentially vulnerable to human interference due to its preferred shore habitat (Potts & Swaby, 1992). The giant goby is a very common inshore fish in the North East Atlantic and the Mediterranean (Miller, 1986).

Substratum preferences	Rockpools Under boulders Mixed	Physiographic preferences	Open coast
Biological zone	Sublittoral Fringe	Wave exposure	Sheltered
Tidal stream strength/Water flow	Insufficient information See additional information	Salinity	Variable (18-40 psu)
Habitat Preferences Additional Information
Distribution References	Wheeler, 1994, Potts & Swaby, 1992, Gibson, 1970, Miller, 1986, Wheeler, 1993, Eno et al., 1997, Faria et al., 1998,