Yellowfin Goby

The yellowfin goby (Acanthogobius flavimanus), native to the Northwest Pacific, was introduced to areas outside of its native range including California, Florida, Mexico, and Australia. Typically, this species is found in near shore areas of bays and estuaries with sandy or muddy bottoms. Sometimes, this species is known to travel up rivers. Yellowfin gobies have elongated bodies that are rounded towards the front and compressed towards their tails. They have large scales and are typically light brown with dark brown patches along their sides. Yellowfin gobies primarily eat crustaceans, polychaetes, and small teleost fish. In California, this species reaches maturity at two to three years. During spawning, males construct Y-shaped burrows, and eggs are deposited at the base of the Y. In one area, yellowfin gobies appear to have partially replaced Pacific staghorn sculpins, and there is concern that they may compete with the endangered tidewater goby.

Fun Fact: While yellowfin gobies were first discovered in California in 1963, they were likely introduced several years earlier by ballast water or as eggs on fouling organisms.