You can sponsor this page

Ponticola kessleri (Günther, 1861)

Bighead goby
Upload your photos and videos
Pictures | Google image
Image of Ponticola kessleri (Bighead goby)
Ponticola kessleri
Picture by Harka, A.


Turkey country information

Common names: Kaya balığı
Occurrence: native
Salinity: freshwater
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: Known from Black Sea, European Black Sea watersheds and Anatolian Black Sea watersheds. Threatened due to habitat loss, eutrophication/pollution, construction of weirs/dams in rivers and water abstraction. Proposed for Annex II of the EU Habitats Directive (Ref. 58342). Status of threat: Endangered (Ref. 58342). "EurTurk."
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/tu.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Fricke, R., M. Bilecenoglu and H.M. Sari, 2007
National Database: CLOMFOT

Common names from other countries

Classification / Names ชื่อสามัญ | ชื่อพ้อง | Catalog of Fishes(สกุล, ชนิด) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

> Gobiiformes (Gobies) > Gobiidae (Gobies) > Gobiinae
Etymology:   More on author: Günther.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range นิเวศวิทยา

; น้ำจืด; กร่อย กลุ่มสัตว์หน้าดิน,กลุ่มสัตว์พื้นท้องน้ำ.   Temperate; 4°C - 20°C (Ref. 2059); 50°N - 43°N, 26°E - 52°E

การแพร่กระจาย ประเทศต่างๆ | พื้นที่จำแนกตาม FAO | ระบบนิเวศหลายระบบ | การปรากฏขึ้น,การเกิดขึ้น,พบ | Point map | การแนะนำ | Faunafri

Europe and Asia: Danube delta (Braila, Lake Brates); Lakes Kagul, Yalpukh, Katlabukh, Kitai. Dniester from the liman to the region of Kamentes-Podol'sk. Dnieper to Dnepropetrovsk; Odessa and all coasts of the Caspian Sea; and Volga at Astrakhan. Absent from the Sea of Azov. In Ref. 92840, it reported that this species reached the North Sea basin through an artificial waterway connecting the Danube with the Rhine (well-documented) and within 4 years, the species colonized all suitable riverhabitats downstream of the invasion site.

ขนาด / น้ำหนัก / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 22.0 cm TL เพศผู้/กระเทย; (Ref. 556)

Short description เครื่องมือที่ใช้ในการแยกชนิดสัตว์,สิ่งมีชีวิตออกจากกัน | สัณฐานวิทยา | ความยาวต่างๆ

This species is distinguished from related species in the Black Sea basin by the following characters: 75-95 % of distance between its origin and anus; ctenoid scales completely cover predorsal area and nape; pelvic disc fraenum with angular lobes, fraenum length 1/6-1/2 of its width at base; scales in midlateral series 68-72 + 3-4; snout length 1.5-2.0 times in eye diameter; first branched ray of second dorsal about as long as penultimate ray; posterior part of first dorsal without black spot (Ref. 59043).

ชีววิทยา     ภาคผนวก (เช่น epibenthic)

Usually in freshwater and brackish water with very low salinity (< 2 ppt); in lower rivers and lagoons, lakes, large rivers, harbours on rocky or well-vegetated bottom (reed thickets) in still waters as well as rapids. Initial spawning at 2 years, in March to May, where adhesive eggs are deposited on stones, shells and aquatic plants; while males guard the eggs until hatching. (Ref. 59043). Feeds on crustaceans (mysids, corophiid amphipods) and small fish (gobies) (Ref. 4696).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | การสืบพันธุ์ | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | ตัวอ่อน

Adhesive eggs deposited on stones, shells and aquatic plants. Males guard eggs until hatching. (Ref.59043).

Main reference Upload your references | อ้างอิง | ผู้ประสานงาน | ผู้ร่วมมือ

Kottelat, M., 1997. European freshwater fishes. An heuristic checklist of the freshwater fishes of Europe (exclusive of former USSR), with an introduction for non-systematists and comments on nomenclature and conservation. Biologia, Bratislava, 52/Suppl. 5:1-271. (Ref. 13696)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 05 March 2010

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless




Human uses


Warning: mysqli::__construct(): (HY000/1040): Too many connections in /var/www/html/includes/func_getlabel.php on line 46
Can't connect to MySQL database (fbapp). Errorcode: Too many connections