Caspian-Azov tzutsik goby

The largest body length is about 9 cm. Life expectancy is probably about 4 years. The body is elongated, low, compressed, like the head, from the sides, covered with medium-sized scales. The mouth is small. The front nostrils are elongated into long antennae-like tubes that hang over the upper lip. The general background color from yellowish-gray to brownish-brown. On the sides there are irregularly shaped dark spots-stripes and light spots. During breeding, the males darken, become dark, almost black, a light border appears on the upper edge of the dorsal and caudal fins.

The basins of the Azov and Caspian seas.

In Ukraine, it is found in the coastal shallow, desalinated zone of the Sea of ​​Azov , in particular, it is known from the Dairy Estuary, Obitonnaya and Berdyansk Spit , indicated for Sivash . The species range in Ukraine needs to be clarified.

A saltwater-freshwater residential bottom fish, which is also found on shallow coasts, usually in very desalinated marine areas and in estuaries, and in rivers and their additional system. It prefers places with a slowed-down course or without it, with sandy-silty or somewhat silted shell soil and underwater vegetation. It reaches puberty by the end of the first year of life with a body length of 2.7-2.9 cm. Reproduction from April to June, sometimes until July-August. Portion spawning occurs in the coastal zone at depths of 0.2-1.5 m, and begins at 10 ° C. Caviar is laid under stones, in pits, shells of mollusks and other bottom objects, and is actively guarded by the male. It feeds on small benthos invertebrates (worms, crustaceans , mollusks , etc.), and sometimes feed on fish fry.