Gouania (fish)

Gouania
Blunt-snouted Clingfish
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Gobiesociformes
Family: Gobiesocidae
Subfamily: Gobiesocinae
Genus: Gouania
Nardo, 1833
Species[1]

See text

Gouania is a genus of clingfishes endemic to the Mediterranean Sea that contains at least 5 cryptobenthic species.[2] The members of this genus are the only vertebrates to inhabit European intertidal gravel beaches and they have developed many adaptations to survive in this extremely harsh environment.[1] They are a type of Clingfish meaning they form part of the family Gobiesocidae. All species of clingfish have a thoracic adhesive disc that allows them to hold on to both smooth and rough surfaces alike. This adaptation enables Gouania to survive the harsh conditions of gravel beaches, they are amongst the only fish taxa adapted to this habitat.[2]

Formerly, the genus was considered to be a monotypic genus containing the blunt-snouted clingfish, however a 2020 study described three new species and resurrected a synonym of G. willdenowi (G. pigra).[1]

  1. ^ a b c Wagner, Maximilian; Kovačić, Marcelo; Koblmüller, Stephan (2021). "Unravelling the taxonomy of an interstitial fish radiation: Three new species of Gouania (Teleostei: Gobiesocidae) from the Mediterranean Sea and redescriptions of G. willdenowi and G. pigra". Journal of Fish Biology. 98 (1): 64–88. doi:10.1111/jfb.14558. ISSN 1095-8649. PMC 7821206. PMID 32985685.
  2. ^ a b Wagner, Maximilian; Bračun, Sandra; Skofitsch, Gerhard; Kovačić, Marcelo; Zogaris, Stamatis; Iglésias, Samuel P.; Sefc, Kristina M.; Koblmüller, Stephan (2019-10-01). "Diversification in gravel beaches: A radiation of interstitial clingfish (Gouania, Gobiesocidae) in the Mediterranean Sea". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 139: 106525. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106525. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 31158485. S2CID 174807512.