Find a Fish
An eel goby
Taenioides mordax (De Vis, 1883)
or, Taenioides purpurascens (De Vis, 1884)
IImage of the eel goby sent for identification.
The fish in the upper image was caught by G. Logan in the Clarence River, New South Wales. He took it for identification to the Northern Region Fisheries Office, at Maclean. Fisheries Officer B. Harrison sent a photograph to the Museum for identification. He reported that he has seen this fish caught in the nets of trawlers. Fishers have told him that the fish can "really bite hard if you happen to be unlucky enough to brush against them.".
Whole eel goby, from McCulloch, 1934.
The fish is an eel goby. The image is not good enough to identify the fish to species, however it is probably either Taenioides purpurascens or Taenioides mordax. These are species of burrowing gobies which are recorded from soft-bottomed estuaries, in Queensland and New South Wales.
Front part of body, from McCulloch, 1934.
The eel gobies are recognised by their elongate, scaleless body, tiny eyes, upturned mouths, and long-based dorsal and anal fins.
The lower image is a drawing taken from McCulloch, 1934, which shows the head and anterior part of the body.
Further Reading
- McCulloch, A.R., 1934. The Fishes and Fish-Like Animals of New South Wales. Ed 3. Royal Zoological Society of NSW. Pp. i-XXvi, 1-104, Pl. i-xliii.
- Munro I.S.R., 1967. The Fishes of New Guinea. Dept Agriculture, Stock & Fisheries, Port Moresby, New Guinea. Pp. 1-650, Pl. 1-78.
