Shimofuri goby
(Tridentiger bifasciatus)
Image source: Dirk Bearded Rockling | Facebook
General data
Tridentiger bifasciatus (Shimofuri Goby) is a freshwater and estuarine goby that is morphologically very similar to T. trigonocephalus (Chameleon Goby). They are so similar that they were believed to be the same species. The main difference between the two fish is that T. bifasciatus is a fresh water species and T. trigonocephalus is marine.
T. bifasciatus is native to Asia. It is found in from Hokkaido and northern China to Taiwan and Hong Kong.
It has only been found outside its native range in California. It was first collected in the Delta in 1985, and by 1989 had become the most abundant fish species in Suisun Marsh. It slowly spread throughout the region and has been collected in seven southern California reservoirs, from Pyramid Reservoir, east of Oxnard, to Otay Reservoir, east of San Diego. It is a potential competitor with the endangered native Tidewater Goby (Eucylogobius newberryi), but also an important prey item for native and introduced predatory fishes.
