# Monkey goby

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{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = NeogobiusFluviatilis.JPG
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 16 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Freyhof, J. |author2=Kottelat, M. |date=2008 |title=''Neogobius fluviatilis'' |volume=2008 |article-number=e.T14521A4441938 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T14521A4441938.en |access-date=16 November 2021}}</ref>
| range_map = Monkey goby range.png
| range_map_caption = The range of the Monkey goby
| taxon = Neogobius fluviatilis
| authority = ([Pallas](/source/Peter_Simon_Pallas), 1814)
| synonyms =
* ''Gobius fluviatilis'' <small>Pallas, 1814</small>
* ''Apollonia fluviatilis'' <small>(Pallas, 1814)</small>
* ''Neogobius fluviatilis fluviatilis'' <small>(Pallas, 1814)</small>
* ''Gobius sordidus'' <small>[E. T. Bennett](/source/Edward_Turner_Bennett), 1835</small>
* ''Gobius lacteus'' <small>[Nordmann](/source/Alexander_von_Nordmann), 1840</small>
* ''Gobius stevenii'' <small>[Nordmann](/source/Alexander_von_Nordmann), 1840</small>
* ''Gobius fluviatilis nigra'' <small>[Kessler](/source/Karl_Fedorovich_Kessler), 1859</small>
}}

The '''monkey goby''' ('''''Neogobius fluviatilis''''') is a species of [goby](/source/goby) native to the basins of the [Black Sea](/source/Black_Sea) and the [Sea of Azov](/source/Sea_of_Azov).

==Characteristics==
The monkey goby is covered with [cycloid scale](/source/cycloid_scale)s on the head, nape, back, one third of the [gill covers](/source/Operculum_(fish)), bases of the [pectoral fin](/source/pectoral_fin)s, and the posterior half of the throat and belly.  Its second [dorsal fin](/source/dorsal_fin) is small in size compared to the posterior end of the body.  The width of its head is equal to or a bit greater than the height of the head, and terminates in an acuminated, or leaf-shaped, snout.  The jaws of ''Neogobius fluviatilis'' contain small, conical teeth and the [mandible](/source/mandible)s are set forward in the skull.  The abdomen of the monkey goby is lined with suckers that stretch from the collar to the anus.  Its coloration is a brownish gray or a yellowish gray, usually with a very pale brown pattern of dark merged spots.  Rows of dark spots are also found on the [dorsal](/source/Dorsum_(anatomy)) and [caudal fin](/source/caudal_fin)s.  The average adult monkey goby measures 7–10 centimeters, but has been known to grow to lengths of 18–20 centimeters.  This species weighs around 50 grams.

==Range==
The natural [habitat](/source/habitat) of the monkey goby is the [fresh](/source/freshwater) and [brackish water](/source/brackish_water)s of basins in the [Black Sea](/source/Black_Sea) and the [Sea of Marmara](/source/Sea_of_Marmara).<ref>{{Fauna of Ukraine, 8(5)}}</ref> In the basin of the [Sea of Marmara](/source/Sea_of_Marmara), it is a common sight in [Manyas](/source/Lake_Ku%C5%9F), [Sapanca](/source/Lake_Sapanca), and the [Kazoli River](/source/Kazoli_River) in [Bosporus](/source/Bosporus) Strait.
In the Black Sea and the surrounding areas, the monkey goby is common in all desalinated water including the [Danube](/source/Danube) river and its [tributaries](/source/tributaries), the [lagoon](/source/lagoon)s and [estuaries](/source/estuaries) of the north-western part of the [Black Sea](/source/Black_Sea), the [Sea of Azov](/source/Sea_of_Azov), and the rivers of [Caucasus](/source/Caucasus).
Recently, the monkey goby has been registered as an [invasive species](/source/invasive_species) in some countries of [Europe](/source/Europe). In 1970, the species was first declared as a [non-indigenous](/source/non-indigenous_species) in [Lake Balaton](/source/Lake_Balaton) in [Hungary](/source/Hungary).<ref>Bíro P. (1971) ''Neogobius fluviutilis'' in Lake Balaton - a  Ponto-Caspian goby new to the fauna of central Europe. J. Fish Biol., 4: 249–255.[http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1972.tb05671.x/abstract?systemMessage=Due+to+scheduled+maintenance+access+to+the+Wiley+Online+Library+may+be+disrupted+as+follows%3A+Saturday%2C+30+October+-+New+York+0500+EDT+to+0700+EDT%3B+London+1000+BST+to+1200+BST%3B+Singapore+1700+SGT+to+1900+SGT.]</ref> The monkey goby was discovered in the Middle Danube in Hungary in 1984.<ref>Pintér K. (1989) Fishes of Hungary. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 202 pp.</ref> In 2001 it was found to have spread to the [Slovak](/source/Slovakia)-Hungarian sector of the Danube River.<ref>Stráňai I., Andeji J. (2001) Monkey goby – (so far) the last invasing species from the gobiids family. Polovnictvo a rybárstvo (Bratislava), 53: 44–45.</ref> In the basin of the [Baltic Sea](/source/Baltic_Sea) it was first registered as an invasive species in 1997.<ref>Danilkiewicz Z. (1998) Babka szczupła,  Neogobius fluviatilis (Pallas, 1811), Perciformes, Gobiidae – nowy, pontyjski element w ichtiofaunie zlewiska Morza Bałtyckiego. Fragm. Faun., 41(21): 269–277.</ref> The species has also become a common sight in the [Włocławek Reservoir](/source/W%C5%82oc%C5%82awek_Reservoir) and [Zegrze Reservoir](/source/Zegrze_Reservoir).<ref>Kostrzewa J., Grabowski M. (2002) Babka szczupła, ''Neogobius fluviatilis'' (Pallas, 1814), w Wiśle - fenomen inwazji pontokaspijskich Gobiidae. Przegl. Zool., 46(3-4): 235–242.</ref>
The monkey goby has been found in the [German](/source/Germany) part of the [river](/source/river) [Rhine](/source/Rhine) since March 2009. It has also been found in the [Waal River](/source/Waal_River), near [Nijmegen](/source/Nijmegen), the [Netherlands](/source/Netherlands).<ref>van Kessel N., Dorenbosch M., Spikmans F. (2009) First record of Pontian monkey goby, ''Neogobius fluviatilis'' (Pallas, 1814), in the Dutch Rhine. Aquatic Invasions, 4(2): 421–424.[http://www.aquaticinvasions.net/2009/AI_2009_4_2_vanKessel_etal.pdf]</ref>

In August 2011 the monkey goby is registered for the first time in the [Evros River](/source/Evros_River) ([Greece](/source/Greece)), which is inflows to the [Aegean Sea](/source/Aegean_Sea).<ref>Zogaris S., Apostolou A. (2011) [http://www.medit-mar-sc.net/articleview2.php?id=619 First record of Pontian Monkey Goby, Neogobius fluviatilis (Pallas, 1814) in the Evros River (Greece); is it an alien species?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426091450/http://www.medit-mar-sc.net/articleview2.php?id=619 |date=2012-04-26 }} Mediterranean Marine Science, 12(2): 454–461.</ref>

==Feeding==
The monkey goby belongs to the group known as [malacophage](/source/malacophage)s, but [molluscs](/source/molluscs) have lower importance in its diet than in that of the [round goby](/source/round_goby).<ref>Andriyashev A.R., Arnoldi L.V. (1945) O biologiipitaniya nekotoryh donnyh ryb Chernogo morya. Zhurn. obshch. biol., 6(1): 53–61. (in Russian)</ref> However, in the [Sea of Azov](/source/Sea_of_Azov) [molluscs](/source/molluscs) (mainly ''Abra segmentum'') make up 85% of its diet.<ref>Lus V.Ya. (1963) Pitaniye bychkov (sem. Gobiidae) Azovskogo morya. Trudy Instituta okeanologii, 62: 96–127. (in Russian)</ref> In the [Gulf of Tendra](/source/Gulf_of_Tendra) its diet is dominated by [polychaetes](/source/polychaetes), the [larvae](/source/larvae) of [Chironomidae](/source/Chironomidae), [molluscs](/source/molluscs), ''[Cerastoderma](/source/Cerastoderma)'', juvenile [gobies](/source/gobies), adult [marbled gobies](/source/Marbled_goby), and [crustacean](/source/crustacean)s such as [amphipods](/source/Amphipoda) and [shrimp](/source/shrimp).<ref>Borisenko A.M. (1946) Kolichestvennyj uchet donnoy fauny Tendrovskogo zaliva: Abstract of PhD Thesis, Karadag, 18 p. (in Russian)</ref> In the [Danube](/source/Danube_Delta) lakes [Yalpug](/source/Yalpug_Lake) and [Kugurluy](/source/Kugurluy), the diet of the monkey goby consists of amphipods, molluscs, and [Oligochaeta](/source/Oligochaeta).<ref>Grinbart S.B. (1964) Zhivlennia bentosoyidnyh ryb i kormovi resursy zoobentosu lymaniv (Yalpuh, Kugurluy) [In:] Tezy dop. I resp. konf. VGBT, 9, Kiev, Naukova Dumka, pp. 68–69. (in Ukrainian)</ref>

In the [Khadzhibey Estuary](/source/Khadzhibey_Estuary) a dozen species of [prey](/source/prey) make up the diet of monkey goby.<ref>Kudrenko S., Kvach Y. (2005) Diet composition of two gobiid species in the Khadzhibey Estuary (North-Western Black Sea, Ukraine). Acta Universitatis Nicolai Copernici, Limnological Papers, 24: 61–68.</ref> [Polychaetes](/source/Polychaetes), [larvae](/source/larvae) of [insects](/source/insects), and shrimp are present in the diet year round.  Seasonal dietary additions include [crabs](/source/crabs) such as ''[Rhithropanopeus harrisii](/source/Rhithropanopeus_harrisii)'', [sea weed](/source/sea_weed) such as  ''[Zostera marina](/source/Zostera_marina)'', and amphipods  such as ''[Marinogammarus olivii](/source/Marinogammarus_olivii)''. Certain [plankton](/source/plankton)ic [crustacean](/source/crustacean)s are also present in the diet of adult gobies.

==Parasites==
[[File:Infected goby.jpg|left|thumb|Monkey goby infected with the larvae of nematodes ''[Eustrongylides](/source/Eustrongylides) excisus'', [Dniester Estuary](/source/Dniester_Estuary), [Ukraine](/source/Ukraine)]]
In the northwestern [Black Sea](/source/Black_Sea), twelve parasite species are known to infect the monkey goby.<ref>Kvach Y. (2005) A comparative analysis of helminth faunas and infection of ten species of gobiid fishes (Actinopterigii: Gobiidae) from the North-Western Black Sea. Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria, 35(2): 103–110.[http://www.aiep.pl/volumes/2000/5_2/pdf/ACTA_35(2)_paper_06.pdf]</ref> The core of the parasitic fauna are a trio [metacercariae](/source/metacercariae) composed of ''[Сryptocotyle concavum](/source/%D0%A1ryptocotyle_concavum)'', ''[Сryptocotyle lingua](/source/%D0%A1ryptocotyle_lingua)'', and ''[Рygidiopsis genata](/source/%D0%A0ygidiopsis_genata)''. Other common parasites include the [nematode](/source/nematode) ''[Dichelyne minutus](/source/Dichelyne_minutus)'' and the [cestoda](/source/cestoda) ''[Ligula pavlovskii](/source/Ligula_pavlovskii)''. The trematode parasites ''[C. lingua](/source/%D0%A1ryptocotyle_lingua)'' and ''[P. genata](/source/%D0%A0ygidiopsis_genata)'' can also infest humans.<ref>Youssef M.M., Mansour N.S., Awadalla H.N., Hammouda N.A., Khalifa R., Boulos L.M. (1987) Heterophyid parasite of man from Idku, Maryat and Manzala Lakes areas in Egypt. J. Egypt. Soc. Parasitol., 17: 474–479.</ref><ref>Zimmerman M.R., Smith G.S. (1975) A probable case of occidental inhumation of 1600 years ago. Bull. N.Y. Acad. Med., 51(7): 828–837.</ref> In the 1950s, along the coast of the [Gulf of Taganrog](/source/Gulf_of_Taganrog) in the [Sea of Azov](/source/Sea_of_Azov), the monkey goby was registered as a [host](/source/Host_(biology)) of [epizootic](/source/epizootic) of [nematodes](/source/nematodes) ''[Tetrameres fissispina](/source/Tetrameres_fissispina)'' and ''[Streptocara crassicauda](/source/Streptocara_crassicauda)'', which are fatal to [ducklings](/source/ducklings).<ref>Kovalenko I.I. (1960) Izucenie cikla razvitiâ nekotoryh gel'mintov domasnih utok v hozâjstvah na Azovskom poberez'e. Doklady AN SSSR, 133(5): 1259–1261.(In Russian)</ref>

==Importance==
In [Ukraine](/source/Ukraine) the monkey goby is a crucial commercial fish, especially in the [Sea of Azov](/source/Sea_of_Azov) and [Dnieper-Bug Estuary](/source/Dnieper-Bug_Estuary). It plays an important role in the food chain by serving as prey for other predatory fish living in these areas.

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=35em}}

==Further reading==
* Fishes of waters of Ukraine / [http://fish.kiev.ua/pages/ukrfishm/ukrfishm70.htm Monkey goby (''Neogobius fluviatilis'' (Pallas, 1814))] - in Russian
* Digitaler Fischertenatles von Deutschland und Österreich / [https://web.archive.org/web/20110719013320/http://www.fischartenatlas.de/cms/atlas/fisch_uebersicht_wiss_40243_1.html ''Neogobius fluviatilis'' Pallas, 1814 - Flussgrundel] - in German

{{Taxonbar|from=Q924985}}
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monkey goby
Category:Freshwater fish of Europe
Category:Fish of Europe
Category:Fish of West Asia
Category:Fish of the Black Sea
monkey goby
Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Monkey goby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_goby) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_goby?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.