The Oriental Goby, Acanthogobius flavimanus (Temminck and Schlegel), an introduced fish in the coastal waters of New South Wales, Australia

Abstract

Since 1971 over 100 specimens of the oriental goby, Acanthogobius flavimanus, have been collected from New South Wales’ waters. When this species, a native of Japan, was introduced to San Francisco Bay (U.S.A.) it underwent a population explosion, becoming a common member of estuarine fish communities in that area.The occurrence of both reproductively maturing females and juveniles in the harbours of the Sydney region (central New South Wales coast) suggests that the species may have bred successfully here. However, the relatively low numbers of A. flavimanus collected during the study indicate that as yet there has been no population explosion in New South Wales waters. A number of aspects of the biology and ecology of the species was examined in an attempt to identify features which may limit its distribution and abundance in the Sydney region.The inhibition of successful reproduction by the relatively warm‐water temperatures in this area and the potential for competition with native fishes are proposed as possible explanations.