A slender symbiotic goby hiding in burrows of mud shrimp Austinogebia edulis in western Taiwan

Abstract

The present study recorded the population of the goby fish (Perciformes: Gobiidae), Eutaeniichthys cf. gilli Jordan & Snyder, 1901, from the tunnel burrowed by the mud shrimp Austinogebia edulis Ngo-Ho and Chan, 1992 in a mudflat in Shengang and Wangong of Changhua County, western Taiwan. This finding is not only a new record of the genus in Taiwan, it is also the first record of this species in a mudflat near an industrial park. In total, 56 individuals of E . cf. gilli were collected from June 2016 to September 2018. Morphological traits of males and females were measured. The resin casting method trapped bodies of E . cf. gilli that were present in the tunnel burrow and proved that the fish inhabits burrows of the mud shrimp A . edulis . In addition, a species of snapping shrimp was also found in the same tunnel. Symbiotic interaction may occur between E . cf. gilli , A . eduli and the snapping shrimp. The China Coastal Current (CCC) runs along the coastlines of Japan, Korea, China, and reaches western Taiwan during the northeast monsoon period. The CCC, therefore, might play an important role in the biogeographic distribution of E . cf. gilli in the western Pacific Ocean. Since E . cf. gilli is listed in the Red List as an endangered species of Japan for many years, Taiwan waters may provide a refuge for this fish species warranting a broader investigation. Since Taiwan is some distance away from the previously recorded locations in Japan, Korea, the Yellow Sea, and the Bohai Sea, a phylogenic analysis is warranted for population and species differentiation in the future.

Assessing sea floor functional biodiversity and vulnerability

“…Other traits were considered as part of habitat creation through 'bioconstruction' (Ingrosso et al 2018), which is not restricted to the substratum surface. Indeed, large burrows are known to host a variety of commensal, symbiotic, opportunistic and foraging organisms, including fish (Woodin 1978, Lackschewitz & Reise 1998, Callaway 2006, Tseng et al 2019).…”

Life history characteristics and burrow structure of the mud shrimp (Decapoda: Upogebiidae)

“…Most mud shrimps dig burrows in substrates such as mud, sand, gravel, corals, and sponges (Dworschak 2000(Dworschak , 2015. The shrimpsʼ activities have a variety of impacts on the abiotic environment of their habitat (Kinoshita et al 2003a, Sasaki et al 2014, Das et al 2017) and can affect local benthic communities (Pillay & Branch 2011), creating spaces for other organisms (MacGinitie 1935, Atkinson & Taylor 2005, Dworschak et al 2012, Tseng et al 2019. Such burrow inhabitants are well studied in Japan (Sato et al 2001, Itoh & Nishida 2002, Kinoshita 2002, 2017, Shiozaki & Itani 2020, Seike & Goto 2020.…”