Gobiidae Cuvier, 1816

Family Gobiidae Cuvier, 1816 View in CoL View at ENA

Remarks Gobiid otoliths are commonly found from the studied sites and rank as the second most abundant ( Table 1). Taiwan is home to a considerable number of extant gobiid species (Shao, 2023), which share a similar otolith morphology. However, the lack of knowledge about the otoliths of extant gobiid species in the region poses a significant challenge and complicates the identification of relatively young fossils, as described in this study. Terefore, it can be challenging to assign otoliths to specific species or even genus. In this study, a conservative approach was taken, and only otoliths with distinct characteristics were identified to lower taxonomic levels, while the remaining otoliths were assigned to the family level only (e.g., 14 h–k).