Painted goby

The painted goby (Pomatoschistus pictus) is a small goby of Western European waters from Trondheim Fjord to Spain, the Canary Islands and is sometimes reported in the Mediterranean Sea.^[2] Also mentioned in the Black Sea.^[3] It lives at depths from 1 to 55 metres (3.3 to 180.4 ft), preferring a gravelly or sandy environment. Its young may sometimes be found in tide pools. It feeds on amphipods and copepods.

Painted goby
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Gobiiformes
Family:	Oxudercidae
Genus:	Pomatoschistus
Species:	P. pictus
Binomial name
Pomatoschistus pictus (Malm, 1865)
Synonyms
Gobius pictus Malm, 1865 Pomatoschistus pictus pictus (Malm, 1865) Gobius rhodopterus Günther, 1861 Gobius affinis Kolombatović, 1891 Pomatoschistus pictus adriaticus P. J. Miller, 1973

Description

The painted goby is a relatively small goby, only growing to 6 cm in length, although some may grow to 9.5 cm. It is fawn-brown, with a row of four double dark brown spots along the sides. The dorsal fin has rows of dark brown-black spots interspersed with bands of iridescent blue and pink.