''Ponticola gorlap'', or the Caspian bighead goby, is a
species of
goby, a
benthic
The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...
fish native to the
Caspian Sea basin. It is widespread in lower parts of many rivers in
Iran, and also found in
Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.
[Brian W. Coad]
Freshwater Fishes of Iran
(accessed 18 Feb 2015) In Russia, it occurred in the lowest part of the
Volga River up to
Astrakhan until 1977, but has thereafter spread upstream. In 2000 it was recorded as being established in the
Ivankovo and
Rybinsk Reservoirs in the Moscow region, and already invaded the
Don drainage by way of the
Volga-Don Canal in 1972.
[ This species occurs in sheltered environments, such as inshore fresh or brackish waters of estuaries, lagoons, lakes and large rivers, where it prefers habitats with a well vegetated rock or firmly packed sand substrate. It can reach a length of SL, and a common size is SL.]
External links
Ponticola
Fish of Asia
Fish of Russia
Fish of the Caspian Sea
Fish described in 1949
Endemic fauna of the Caspian Sea
{{Gobiidae-stub