Peters' Goby

Oxyurichthys petersii, commonly known as Peters' goby, is a species of goby fish originating from the 🌊 Red Sea and now found in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, having migrated through the Suez Canal (🇪🇬 Egypt). This tropical marine fish is typically associated with reefs and inhabits depths starting from 70 meters (230 feet). It can grow up to 12 centimeters (about 4.7 inches) in length.

The appearance of Peters' goby is distinctive, marked by a grey-blue body adorned with brown spots and blue streaks on its opercle and cheeks. Notable features include a brown stripe extending from the eye, a reddish caudal fin edged in dark, and a dark spot on the caudal peduncle. Its pelvic fins exhibit a bluish tint with yellow spots and lines, while the pectoral fins are yellowish with white spots. The dorsal and anal fins may appear transparent or have a reddish hue accented with blue lines. The fish's ventral surface is primarily whitish. A distinguishing feature is the low first dorsal fin, with spine tips extending beyond the membrane, potentially longer in males.

Originally described in 1871 by German zoologist Carl Benjamin Klunzinger, Oxyurichthys petersii was named in honor of the German naturalist Wilhelm Peters, who contributed significantly to zoological collections. Adapted to life on soft seabeds, Peters' goby is carnivorous, feeding primarily on small organisms found in the sand and mud, such as foraminiferans, copepods, and various small crustaceans and molluscs. The presence of well-developed gonads observed in samples taken near 🇮🇱 Israel in August and November suggests active reproduction during these months.

First discovered in the eastern Mediterranean off the coast of Ashdod, 🇮🇱 Israel, in 1982, Peters' goby has since become a common catch in trawl fisheries in the region's eastern basin. The genus name Oxyurichthys is derived from Greek, meaning "sharp tail fish."