Unusual morphological and ecological characteristics of hyperbenthic juveniles of Gobius cruentatus

Unidentified hyperbenthic gobiid juveniles were collected while SCUBA diving at Ostro, in the Kvarner area, northern Adriatic Sea from 1996 to 2000. An additional 23 specimens of this form were collected at Ostro on 13 May 2002. They were kept alive and reared in the aquarium. Groups of specimens were sacrified periodically to study changes in morphology and growth. From the data acquired the hyperbenthic juveniles were identified as those of the red-mouthed goby Gobius cruentatus. The present findings provide data on the unusual morphology and ecology of G. cruentatus juveniles.

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