| Toad Goby | |
|---|---|
| Mesogobius batrachocephalus from Gelendzhik, Caucasus | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Suborder: | Gobioidei |
| Family: | Gobiidae |
| Subfamily: | Benthophilinae |
| Genus: | Mesogobius |
| Species: | M. batrachocephalus |
| Binomial name | |
| Mesogobius batrachocephalus (Pallas, 1814) |
|
| Synonyms | |
Knout Goby, or Toad goby (Mesogobius batrachocephalus), is a species of fish in the Gobiidae family from the basin of the Black Sea. The natural area of this species are coastal waters of Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, and Ukraine[1]. Presented in the Bosporus (registered in the Balta-Liman), Lake Varna, Kerch Strait, estuaries: Berezan, Hryhorivsky, Tyligul, Dniester, Dnieper-Bug, Molochny, Sivash. In the lower Southern Bug River, in the Dnieper River up to Zaporizhzhia.
Recently, the toad goby has expanded its range into the Dnieper River, and has become a common species near Kiev, in Kiev Reservoir.
The Knout Goby inhabits inshore waters, estuaries, brackish- and fresh-water lagoons of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. It can reach 35–40 cm in length (14-16 inches) and 600 grams in weight (1.3 pounds). Lives up to eight years. Spawns for the first time at the third year in February–May, only once a year. Deposits its roe under or between stones. Its relatively large size and its somewhat flat head with chubby cheeks, sets it apart from its other relatives in the Gobiidae family. The Knout Goby prefers sandy and rocky bottom, where it can feed on shrimp and other small crustaceans, mussels, and other molluscs as well as on small gobies and other small fish.