Ponticola kessleri, Bighead goby : fisheries

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Related species
- Species in
  Ponticola
- Species in
  Gobiidae
- - Classification -
- Gobiinae
- Gobiidae
- Gobiiformes
- Teleostei
- Chordata
- Animalia

Ponticola kessleri (Günther, 1861)

Bighead goby

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Image of Ponticola kessleri (Bighead goby)

Ponticola kessleri
Picture by Harka, A.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Gobiiformes (Gobies) > Gobiidae (Gobies) > Gobiinae
Eponymy: Karl Fedorovich (Theodorovich) Kessler (1815–1881) was a Russian-German zoologist and collector who was one of the founders of the St Petersburg Society of Naturalists (1868), and its President (1868–1879). [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on author: Günther.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; brackish; benthopelagic. Temperate; 4°C - 20°C (Ref. 2059); 50°N - 43°N, 26°E - 52°E

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Europe and Asia: Danube delta (Braila, Lake Brates); Lakes Kagul, Yalpukh, Katlabukh, Kitai. Dniester from the liman to the region of Kamentes-Podol'sk. Dnieper to Dnepropetrovsk; Odessa and all coasts of the Caspian Sea; and Volga at Astrakhan. Absent from the Sea of Azov. In Ref. 92840, it reported that this species reached the North Sea basin through an artificial waterway connecting the Danube with the Rhine (well-documented) and within 4 years, the species colonized all suitable riverhabitats downstream of the invasion site.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 22.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 556)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

This species is distinguished from related species in the Black Sea basin by the following characters: 75-95 % of distance between its origin and anus; ctenoid scales completely cover predorsal area and nape; pelvic disc fraenum with angular lobes, fraenum length 1/6-1/2 of its width at base; scales in midlateral series 68-72 + 3-4; snout length 1.5-2.0 times in eye diameter; first branched ray of second dorsal about as long as penultimate ray; posterior part of first dorsal without black spot (Ref. 59043).

Usually in freshwater and brackish water with very low salinity (< 2 ppt); in lower rivers and lagoons, lakes, large rivers, harbours on rocky or well-vegetated bottom (reed thickets) in still waters as well as rapids. Initial spawning at 2 years, in March to May, where adhesive eggs are deposited on stones, shells and aquatic plants; while males guard the eggs until hatching. (Ref. 59043). Feeds on crustaceans (mysids, corophiid amphipods) and small fish (gobies) (Ref. 4696).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Adhesive eggs deposited on stones, shells and aquatic plants. Males guard eggs until hatching. (Ref.59043).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Kottelat, M., 1997. European freshwater fishes. An heuristic checklist of the freshwater fishes of Europe (exclusive of former USSR), with an introduction for non-systematists and comments on nomenclature and conservation. Biologia, Bratislava, 52/Suppl. 5:1-271. (Ref. 13696)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 18 January 2023

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators

Ecology
Ecology

Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
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Abundance

Life cycle
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Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
Spawning
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Eggs
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Distribution
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Anatomy
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Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5001 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01023 (0.00477 - 0.02194), b=3.01 (2.83 - 3.19), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.5 ±0.53 se; based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low vulnerability (12 of 100).

Price category (Ref. 80766): Very high.

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