Code goby 



Gobiosoma robustum 

 Adult 



1 cm 



(from Fritzsche 1978) 



Common Name: Code goby 

 Scientific Name: Gobiosoma robustum 

 Other Common Names: robust goby 

 Classification (Robins et al. 1991) 

 Phylum: Chordata 

 Class: Osteichthyes 

 Order: Perciformes 

 Family: Gobiidae 



Value 



Commercial : The code goby has no commercial value, 

 other than as a minor forage fish for commercially 

 important species. 



Recreational : The code goby has little recreational 

 value, although it is somtimes kept in marine aquaria, 

 and may be observed by recreational divers and 

 snorkelers. 



Indicator of Environmental Stress : This species is 

 generally not used in studies of environmental stress. 



Ecological : The code goby is a small predator, and is 

 one of the dominant species of shallow grass flats 

 (Hildebrand 1 954, Springer and Woodbum 1 960, Hoese 

 and Jones 1964, Zimmerman 1 969, Odum 1971). It is 

 also considered the most abundant goby in the saline 

 waters of northern Florida Bay (Tabb and Manning 

 1961). 



Range 



Overall : This species is found from the Chesapeake 

 Bay to Florida and throughout the Gulf of Mexico to the 

 Yucatan (Ginsburg 1933, Dawson 1969, Schwartz 

 1971, Hoese and Moore 1977). It is abundant in 

 shallow sea grass meadows especially in Florida and 



northern Gulf of Mexico (Ginsburg 1933, Hildebrand 

 1954, Springer and Woodburn 1960). 



Within Study Area : The code goby is common along 

 the Gulf coast from the Laguna Madre, Texas to Florida 

 Bay, Florida in shallow grass flats (Ginsburg 1933, 

 Hildebrand 1 954, Bohlke and Robins 1 968, Zimmerman 

 1969). It is considered absent from many of the low- 

 salinity estuaries of Louisiana (Czapla et al. 1991) 

 (Table 5.41). 



Life Mode 



This is a demersal species (Zimmerman 1969, Odum 

 1 971 ). Observations from different activity studies are 

 inconclusive, possibly due to the difficulty in collecting 

 this "secretive" resident of sea grass beds (Springer 

 and Woodburn 1960, Hoese and Jones 1964, 

 Zimmerman 1969, Krull 1976, Shipp 1986). 



Habitat 



Type : The habitat preferences of early life stages are 

 well known. Eggs have been found attached to shells 

 or sponges (Fritzsche 1978). Adults are primarily 

 collected from oligohaline to euhaline estuaries in 

 shallow water seagrasses, particularly Thalassia, but 

 also in Diplanthera, Ruppia, Halodule, and Cymodocea 

 grass beds. Adults are also found in bays, beach 

 ponds, oyster reefs, river sloughs, rocky channels, and 

 among mangrove roots (Breder 1942, Bailey et al. 

 1954, Hildebrand 1954, Kilby 1955, Springer and 

 Woodburn 1960, Springer and McErlean 1961, Tabb 

 and Manning 1 961 , Tabb et al. 1 962, Hoese and Jones 

 1964, Hoese 1965, Zimmerman 1969, Bonin 1977, 

 Hoese and Moore 1 977, Huh 1 984, Thayer et al. 1 987). 

 They are uncommon in deeper waters, with most 

 collections occurring at depths of a few centimeters to 



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