Anemone goby
Gobius bucchichi
Special features
The Anemone goby does actually live together with sea anemones, in particular with the Anemonia sulcata.
The goby protects itself from the anemones' nettles with a layer of mucus on its skin.
This allows her to seek shelter in the anemones.
Appearance
The Anemone goby is inconspicuous, with an elongated delicate body that grows slightly larger towards the head.
Her bright colors range from white to sandy brown and her body is decorated with thin, dotted lines. As a result, it is excellently camouflaged in its habitat.
The females are thicker and smaller than the males.
Natural enemies
Predatory fish
Dangerous/Venomous
The anemone rundel is neither dangerous nor venomous.
Sketch
1. Thick lips
2. Thin, dotted lines
Pro tips
The Anemone goby can be found not far from the shore in shallow water, usually up to a depth of 8m.
It shares these spaces oftentimes with its closely related species Gobius niger.
In the morning she leaves her sleeping place, the Anemonia sulcata, to eat small bristle worms, crabs, snails, and algae.
During the mating season from April to June, there is a real buzz about this species; The males fight impressively and lift themselves from the ground with their pectoral fins to look as big as possible.
They snap at the opposing males or try to chase them away with spread fins.
The winner then fertilizes up to 10,000 eggs from several females each.
The females then attach the eggs to the ground with a string.
Two months after hatching, the larvae are already looking for their own anemones.
Text: Carolina Leiter, Felician Hosp, Pia Balaka
Pic: Dive Dict
Illustration: Dive Dict
