Karen Cram, Canada
Info
The goby Blepsias cirrhosus is a boreal Pacific species that occurs off the Asian coasts, in the Bering Sea (western and southern parts), in the Sea of Okhotsk, in the Sea of Japan as far as South Korea and along the islands southwards to Wakasa Bay, Honshu Island), off south-eastern Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands and Hokkaido Island, as well as off the coasts of North America, in the Gulf of Alaska and south of south-central California.
There is a pronounced sexual dimorphism in the coloration of bullheads, the normal body coloration is dark grey with indistinct spots, while the abdomen is light.
The females take on a nuptial coloration during the spawning season, unlike in many other species where the males wear a nuptial costume,
the body is reddish-brown or purple, the abdomen bright yellow.
The females have a relatively large (10-15 mm long) ovipositor, which they use to lay their eggs on spongy tissue.
Very often the males of many other species take over the guarding of the eggs, with Blepsias cirrhosus the female develops a clearly pronounced concern for the offspring, a reason may be the rather small number of eggs (234 - 404 eggs).
The biology of this species has only been insufficiently researched; there are only data on reproduction, embryonic development and nutrition.
Synonyms:
Blepsias draciscus Jordan & Starks, 1904 · unaccepted
Blepsias trilobus Cuvier, 1829 · unaccepted
Trachinus cirrhosus Pallas, 1814 · unaccepted
There is a pronounced sexual dimorphism in the coloration of bullheads, the normal body coloration is dark grey with indistinct spots, while the abdomen is light.
The females take on a nuptial coloration during the spawning season, unlike in many other species where the males wear a nuptial costume,
the body is reddish-brown or purple, the abdomen bright yellow.
The females have a relatively large (10-15 mm long) ovipositor, which they use to lay their eggs on spongy tissue.
Very often the males of many other species take over the guarding of the eggs, with Blepsias cirrhosus the female develops a clearly pronounced concern for the offspring, a reason may be the rather small number of eggs (234 - 404 eggs).
The biology of this species has only been insufficiently researched; there are only data on reproduction, embryonic development and nutrition.
Synonyms:
Blepsias draciscus Jordan & Starks, 1904 · unaccepted
Blepsias trilobus Cuvier, 1829 · unaccepted
Trachinus cirrhosus Pallas, 1814 · unaccepted
