Any of several fishes of the family Gobiidae, especially of the genus Periophthalmus, that are found along the western coast of tropical Africa and in the Indo-Pacific region and are able to survive out of water and maneuver on land.
mudskipper
Dictionary:
mud·skip·per (mŭd'skĭp'ər)  |
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| Columbia Encyclopedia: mudskipper |
mudskipper, name for several fishes of the genus Periophthalmus, of the goby family, found in coastal waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans. They live chiefly on mud flats and in brackish mangrove swamps and are adapted for remaining on dry land when the tide goes out. They have no special air-breathing organs, but absorb oxygen through the skin and gill chambers as long as these remain moist. When out of water, mudskippers use the fleshy bases of their pectoral fins for propulsion on the ground, and members of the larger species can skip faster than a person can move. The mudskipper's diet includes insects and small fish. About 8 in. (20 cm) long, it is olive brown, often with bluish markings. Its protruding, mobile eyes give it a froglike appearance. It is classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Osteichthyes, order Perciformes, family Gobiidae.
| WordNet: mudskipper |
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.
The noun has one meaning:
Meaning #1:
found in tropical coastal regions of Africa and Asia; able to move on land on strong pectoral fins
Synonym: mudspringer
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Mudskippers are members of the subfamily Oxudercinae (tribe Periophthalmini[1]), within the family Gobiidae (Gobies). They are completely amphibious fish, fish that can use its pectoral fins to "walk" on land.[2][3] Being amphibious, they are uniquely adapted to intertidal habitats, unlike most fish in such habitats which survive the retreat of the tide by hiding under wet seaweed or in tidal pools.[4] Mudskippers are quite active when out of water, feeding and interacting with one another, for example to defend their territories.
They are found in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions, including the Indo-Pacific and the Atlantic coast of Africa.
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Adaptations
Compared with fully aquatic gobies, these fish present a range of peculiar behavioural and physiological adaptations to an amphibious lifestyle. These include:
- Anatomical and behavioural adaptations that allow them to move effectively on land as well as in the water.[3] As their name implies these fish use their fins to move around in a series of skips. They can also flip their muscular body to catapult themselves up to 60 cm into the air.[5]
- The ability to breathe through their skin and the lining of their mouth (the mucosa) and throat (the pharynx). This is only possible when the mudskipper is wet, limiting mudskippers to humid habitats and requiring that they keep themselves moist. This mode of breathing, similar to that employed by amphibians, is known as cutaneous air breathing.[4] Another important adaptation that aids breathing while out of water are their enlarged gill chambers, where they retain a bubble of air. These large gill chambers close tightly when the fish is above water, keeping the gills moist, and allowing them to function. They act like a scuba diver's cylinders, and supply oxygen for respiration also while on land.[4]
- Digging of deep burrows in soft sediments that allow the fish to thermoregulate;[6] avoid marine predators during the high tide when the fish and burrow are submerged;[7] and for laying their eggs.[8]
Even when their burrow is submerged, mudskippers maintain an air pocket inside it, which allows them to breathe in conditions of very low oxygen concentration.[9][10][11]
Species
The genus Periophthalmus is by far the most diverse and widespread genus of mudskipper. Eighteen species have been described.[12] [13] [14] Periophthalmus argentilineatus is one of the most widespread and well known species. It can be found in mangrove ecosystems and mudflats of East Africa and Madagascar east through the Sundarbans of Bengal, South East Asia to Northern Australia, southeast China and southern Japan, up to Samoa and Tonga Islands.[1] It grows to a length of about 9.5 cm and is a carnivorous opportunist feeder. It feeds on small prey such as small crabs and other arthropods.[15] Another species, Periophthalmus barbarus, is the only oxudercine goby that inhabits the coastal areas of western Africa (Murdy, 1989).
References
- ^ a b Murdy, E. O. (1989). "A Taxonomic Revision and Cladistic Analysis of the Oxudercine Gobies (Gobiidae: Oxudercinae)". Records of the Australian Museum Suppl. N°11: 1–93.
- ^ Swanson, B.O, and Gibb, A.C. "Kinematics of aquatic and terrestrial escape responses in mudskippers." The Journal of Experimental Biology. Vol. 207, 4037-4044. October 21, 2004. Accessed 2009-05-25.
- ^ a b Harris, V.A. (1960). "On the locomotion of the mudskipper Periophthalmus koelreuteri (Pallas): Gobiidae". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 134: 107–135.
- ^ a b c Graham, J. B. (ed.), ed (1997). Air–breathing Fishes. Evolution, Diversity and Adaptation. San Diego California: Academic Press.
- ^ Piper, Ross (2007), Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals, Greenwood Press.
- ^ Tytler P. & Vaughan T. (1983). "Thermal Ecology of the Mudskippers Periophthalmus koelreuteri (Pallas) and Boleophthalmus boddaerti (Pallas), of Kuwait Bay". Journal of Fish Biology 23 (3): 327–337. doi:.
- ^ Sasekumar, A.; Chong, V.C.; Lim, K.H. & Singh, H.R. (1994). "The Fish Community of Matang Mangrove Waters, Malaysia". Sudara, S.; Wilkinson, C.R.; Chou, L.M. (eds) Proceedings, Third ASEAN-Australia Symposium on Living Coastal Resources. Research papers: Vol. 2: 457-464, Bangkok, Thailand: Chulalonghorn University.
- ^ Brillet, C. (1969). "Etude du comportement constructeur des poissons amphibies Periophthalmidae". Terre et la Vie 23 (4): 496–520.
- ^ Ishimatsu A., Hishida Y., Takita T., Kanda T., Oikawa S., Takeda T. & Khoo K.H. (1998). "Mudskipper Store Air in Their Burrows". Nature 391: 237–238. doi:.
- ^ Ishimatsu A., Takeda T., Kanda T., Oikawa S. & Khoo K.H. (2000). "Burrow environment of mudskippers in Malaysia". Journal of Bioscience 11 (1,2): 17–28.
- ^ Lee H.J., Martinez C.A., Hertzberg K.J., Hamilton A.L. & Graham J.B. (2005). "Burrow air phase maintenance and respiration by the mudskipper Scartelaos histophorus (Gobiidae: Oxudercinae)". The Journal of Experimental Biology 208: 169–177. doi:.
- ^ Larson H.K. & Takita T. (2004). "Two new species of Periophthalmus (Teleostei: Gobiidae: Oxudercinae) from northern Australia, and a re-diagnosis of Periophthalmus novaeguineaensis". The Beagle, Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory 20: 175–185.
- ^ Jaafar Z., Perrig M. & Chou L.M. (2009). "Periophthalmus variabilis (Teleostei: Gobiidae: Oxudercinae), a valid species of mudskipper, and a re-diagnosis of Periophthalmus novemradiatus". Zoological Science 26: 309–314.
- ^ Jaafar Z. & Larson H.L. (2008). "A new species of mudskipper, Periophthalmus takita (Teleostei: Gobiidae: Oxudercinae), from Australia, with a key to the genus". Zoological Science 25: 946–952.
- ^ Milward, N. E. (1974). Studies on the taxonomy, ecology and physiology of Queensland mudskippers (unpubl. Ph D. dissertation ed.). Univ. Of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
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Mentioned in
- All About Animals: Bundles of Babies (2000 Children's/Family Film)
- Atlantic mudskipper
- Mangrove (plant ecology)
- What Is a Fish? (zoology)
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