bay goby
Lepidogobius lepidus (Girard, 1858)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Lepidogobius lepidus, the bay goby or finescale goby, is a noticeably resilient and adaptable species of goby, native to the Pacific coast of North America from British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico where it can be found on muddy substrates from the intertidal zone to about 200 metres (660 ft). This species grows to a length of 10 centimetres (3.9 in) TL. This species is the only extant member of its genus, Lepidogobius. They can flourish in various kinds of habitats, including brackish waters that have fluctuating salinities. The bay goby has a flattened body, and a distinctive head shape which allows it to seamlessly blend into its surroundings. They appear to be light brown to tan in colour with dark spots or markings on its body. This type of goby fish also possesses a fused fin that forms a disc-like suction which aids in their ability to cling to surfaces and not get swept away by currents.
Wikipedia contributors, Bay goby; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:44:06.171031+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Lepidogobius lepidus (Girard, 1858)
- Name authority
- (Girard, 1858)
- Common name
- bay goby
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Gobiiformes
- Family
- Gobiidae
- Genus
- Lepidogobius
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderGobiiformes
- familyGobiidae Cuvier, 1816
- subfamilyGobionellinae Bleeker, 1874
- genusLepidogobius Gill, 1859
- speciesLepidogobius lepidus (Girard, 1858)
Close classified relatives
No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Gobius lepidus Girard, 1858 Girard, 1858 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=281292 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3TBZG. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.