BIOTIC

BIOTIC Species Information for Pomatoschistus microps

Researched by

Karen Riley

Data supplied by

MarLIN

Refereed by

Angus Jackson

Reproduction/Life History

Reproductive type

Gonochoristic

Developmental mechanism

Oviparous

Reproductive Season

April to September

Reproductive Location

Brood chamber / Pouch

Reproductive frequency

Annual protracted

Regeneration potential

Life span

1-2 years

Age at reproductive maturity

<1 year

Generation time

1-2 years

Fecundity

Up to 3,400

Egg/propagule size

Insufficient information

Fertilization type

Insufficient information

Larvae/Juveniles
Larval/Juvenile dispersal potential	>10km	Larval settlement period	Insufficient information
Duration of larval stage	2-10 days

Reproduction Preferences Additional Information

Longevity was reported as 1.6 to 2 years (Miller, 1986). Common gobies breed in their first year of life, becoming sexually mature at approximately 7 months to one year old (Miller, 1986). They attach their eggs onto the upper surface of the interior of an empty bivalve shell, preferring that of Mya arenaria. The male guards the nest and fans the eggs with his tail, to oxygenate them while they are developing.
In the Atlantic, reproduction is protracted (Bouchereau & Guelorget, 1998; Rogers, 1989) and in the Mediterranean it is contracted (Bouchereau & Guelorget, 1998). The breeding season in south west Britain is from mid-April to August/September (Miller, 1986; Rogers, 1989) and between May and July in the Mediterranean (Bouchereau et al., 1989). The common goby spawns at temperatures between 10 and 20 °C (Fonds & van Buurt, 1974).
The common goby has a high individual fecundity and multiple spawning. Rogers (1988) observed 10 batches of eggs in a 16 week breeding season, while Miller (1979) and Bouchereau & Guelorget (1998) observed between 9 and 11 in an entire breeding season. Fecundity was noted to be between 650 and 3,400 by Miller (1986) and between 460 and 2,030 by Bouchereau et al. (1989).
Pampoulie et al. (2000) observed the effects of a drastic and prolonged decrease in salinity, from ca 14 to 5 g/l in less than a week, sustained for approximately four years, and an increase in turbidity due to a centennial flood in the Rhone river. It was reported that these conditions led to an increase in the fecundity per spawning act and egg size of the population. Eggs and larvae of the common goby survive well at salinities as low as 5 psu (Fonds, 1973).

Reproduction References

Pampoulie et al., 2000, Rogers, 1988, Miller, 1979, Bouchereau & Guelorget, 1998, Fonds, 1973, Fonds & van Buurt, 1974, Rogers, 1989, Bouchereau et al., 1989, Miller, 1986, Doornbos & Twisk, 1987, Borg et al., 2002,