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Fries's goby

This shy fish lives in burrows in muddy seafloors, sometimes sharing them with nephrops.

Scientific name

Lesueurigobius friesii

When to see

All year

Species information

Category

Statistics

Up to 13cm long

Conservation status

Least Concern on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Habitats

About

This small fish lives on muddy seabeds, in waters ranging from 10 to well over 100 metres deep. It feeds on worms, small crustaceans and molluscs. It digs u-shaped holes in the muddy floor, but will also share the burrows dug out by nephrops (Nephrops norvegicus, also known as scampi). Fries's gobies are found in the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic Ocean, from West Africa to the top of Norway.

How to identify

A pretty, silvery-pink fish with violet hues and rows of distinctive golden spots along its body. It has yellow and blue bands along the top of its dorsal fin.

Distribution

Found on the western coasts of England, Wales and Scotland, including in Scottish sea lochs. Found around all Irish coasts.

Did you know?

This fish is named after Dr Bengt Fredrik Fries, a Swedish zoologist and fish expert who lived from 1799–1839. It belongs to the genus 'Lesueurigobius', which is named in honour of French naturalist, explorer and artist Charles Alexandre Lesueur (1778–1846).