Round Goby
Neogobius melanostomus
Their pelvic fins are fused into a single suction cup, allowing them to cling tightly to rocks and resist strong, rushing currents.
- Scientific name
- Neogobius melanostomus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Actinopterygii › Gobiiformes › Gobiidae › Neogobius
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- aquatic
- Habitat
- Sandy, rocky, or gravelly bottoms of freshwater lakes, rivers, and brackish estuaries.
- Diet
- Benthic invertebrates, insect larvae, small fish, eggs, and mollusks like zebra mussels.
- Range
- Black Sea, Caspian Sea, North American Great Lakes, Baltic Sea, Rhine River
- Size
- 10-25 cm (4-10 inches)
- Lifespan
- 2-4 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Predation by larger fish (such as bass and walleye) and water pollution in its native range.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to humans. If caught in areas where it is an invasive species (such as the Great Lakes), do not return it to the water; humanely euthanize it to protect local ecosystems. If encountered in its native Eurasian range, it can be safely observed from a distance or handled with wet hands.
The round goby ( Neogobius melanostomus ) is a euryhaline bottom-dwelling goby of the family Gobiidae, native to central Eurasia including the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Round gobies have established large non-native populations in the Baltic Sea, several major Eurasian rivers, and the North American Great Lakes.
Photo: Owen Strickland, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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