The Biology of Gobies

James L. Van Tassell, Robert Patzner, Marcelo Kovacic, B.G. Kapoor

A collaboration of over 30 experts, The Biology of Gobies summarizes the systematics, ecology, zoogeography, and general biology of Gobiiformes. It discusses the astounding diversity of gobies, the largest family of marine fishes, examining the more than 200 genera and 2000 species. It highlights their morphology and adaptability, which allows them to live in numerous ecological niches and lends them favorably to laboratory and field study, and looks at the structural and behavioral reproductive diversity of gobies ranging from gonochoric to hermaphrodite, and monogamous to polygamous, and even promiscuous.

SYSTEMATICS. A History of Gobioid Morphological Systematics. Molecular Systematics of Gobioid Fishes. Systematics of Rhyacichthyidae. Systematics of Odontobutidae. Systematics of Butidaeand Eleotridae.Systematics of Gobionellidae. Systematics of Oxudercinae.Systematics of Amblyopinae.Systematics of Sicydiinae.Systematics of Gobiidae. ZOOGEOGRAPHY. Gobiidae of the Americas. North-eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Gobies.Diversity and Distribution of Marine, Euryhaline and Amphidromous Gobies fromWestern, Central and SouthernAfrica.The Marine Temperate Gobioids of Southern Australia and the New Zealand Region. Tropical Freshwater Gobies: Amphidromy as a Life Cycle. Diversity and Distribution of Freshwater Gobies from the Mediterranean, the Black and Caspian Seas. GENERAL BIOLOGY. Gobies as Predator and Prey. Morphological Adaptations to Special Environments of Gobies. Morphological Organization and Variability of the Reproductive Apparatus in Gobies. Early Development of Gobies. ECOLOGY. Planktonic and Paedomorphic Gobioids. Gobies on Coral Reefs.Gobies as Cleaners. The Partnership between Gobiid Fishes and Burrowing Alpheid Shrimps. Mudskippers: Front Runners in the Modern Invasion of Land.