Snakehead Gudgeon in a shallow, brackish, coastal creek at Pulau Sugi, Riau Archipelago, Indonesia.
Specimen in a mangrove creek at
Bako National Park, Sarawak, Borneo.
Mangrove habitat at Bako
National Park, Sarawak, Borneo.
|
The Snakehead Gudgeon, or
Northern Mud Gudgeon, is a sleeper goby of the family Eleotridae. It
inhabits river mouths and estuaries, coastal creeks in mangrove habitats, as well as man-made prawn
ponds. By day these gobies tend to remain hidden, but by night they may
emerge into more open water, where they may be seen resting on the
substrate.
They are identified by the pale markings across the back, which are more
evident in young specimens, and by the arrangements of pale spots on the
flanks. The head is relatively large, and the eyes smallish.
Sleeper gobies differ from other gobies in that the pelvic fins are
separate, with no connecting membrane.
The Snakehead Gudgeon is
carnivorous, feeding on invertebrates or small vertebrates,
The species ranges from East Africa through the Indian Ocean and the seas of
Southeast Asia to the Western Pacific Ocean.
Family : ELEOTRIDAE
Species : Ophiocara porocephala
Maximum Length : 34 cm
References : F2
|
