Gobio

Gobio View in CoL

Gobio comprises approximately 50 species distributed across a broad range of geographical locations, from Portugal to Korea.Most species (36) are found in the West Palearctic, with 14 in West Asia. Gobio are common in the Caucasus and Central Anatolia, where their species numbers require critical revision. The species of Lake Tuz basin ( G. hettitorum , G. gymnostethus , G. insuyanus , G. microlepidotus ) are very closely related, and it would be beneficial to test the morphological characters proposed to distinguish these species, which may be conspecific.A similar situation exists for all Caucasian species, where G. artvinicus may be conspecific with G. caucasicus . European species, including G. delyamurei , G. holurus , G. krymensis , G. brevicirris , and Asian G. caucasicus , form a cluster of populations that also require taxonomic revision. The biology of West Asian gudgeons is poorly understood, but it is thought that they behave similarly to the few European species studied. They spawn at night in the open water column of lakeshores or fast-flowing sections of streams and rivers. The sticky eggs drift a short distance with the current. Larvae are benthic, and females are fractional spawners that reproduce over a long period in spring and summer. They reach maturity after the first or second winter and live for about 3–8 years, feeding on a wide range of benthic invertebrates digging out from fine substrates as mud and sand.