Mesogobius batrachocephalus

Mesogobius batrachocephalus, the knout goby or toad goby, is one of the species of gobiid fish native to the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov basins. It lives in estuaries and brackish water lagoons, occasionally in fresh waters, such as the coastal Lake Siutghiol in Romania.^[1] It prefers areas near cliffs with sandy, shelly or rocky substrates at depths of from 20 to 60 metres (66 to 197 ft), sometimes down to 100 metres (330 ft). The knout goby is a piscivore. It can reach a length of 34.5 centimetres (13.6 in) SL and weight of 600 grams (1.3 lb). Maximum known age is eight years.^[2]

Head of the toad goby from the Gulf of Odessa

Mesogobius batrachocephalus
A specimen from Gelendzhik, Caucasus
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Gobiiformes
Family:	Gobiidae
Genus:	Mesogobius
Species:	M. batrachocephalus
Binomial name
Mesogobius batrachocephalus (Pallas, 1814)
Synonyms
Gobius batrachocephalus Pallas, 1814 Neogobius batrachocephalus (Pallas, 1814)

References

1. Freyhof, J.; Kottelat, M. (2008). "Mesogobius batrachocephalus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008: e.T13232A3423210. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T13232A3423210.en. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
2. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Mesogobius batrachocephalus". FishBase. June 2013 version.