Burrowing goby
Croilia mossambica
- Usual depth1–2 m
- Water temperature23–26 °C
- Best monthsJanuary
- How commonRare
About this species
Croilia mossambica, the burrowing goby or naked goby, is a species of goby native fresh, brackish and marine waters of Mozambique, South Africa and Madagascar. This species can be found on fine-grained sandy substrates in still waters at depths of from 1 to 16 metres. It can reach a length of 6 centimetres (2.4 in) TL. It is currently the only known member of its genus.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Croilia”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
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Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 9 records
- February: 3 records
- March: 4 records
- April: 0 records
- May: 0 records
- June: 1 records
- July: 4 records
- August: 5 records
- September: 3 records
- October: 1 records
- November: 1 records
- December: 1 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 1–2 m · Deepest record: 1.5 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 23–26 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Burrowing goby, burrowing goby, Estuarine Burrowing Goby, Naked Burrowing Goby, Naked Goby
Similar species
Long-finned GobyFavonigobius lateralis
Common gobyPomatoschistus microps
Black-chest Shrimp-gobyAmblyeleotris guttata
Steinitz' gobyAmblyeleotris steinitzi
Barred ShrimpgobyAmblyeleotris wheeleri
Banded GobyAmblygobius phalaena
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 41 open-data records from 1954 to 2022.
- Species data updated November 1, 2026.
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