A goby negotiates aerial exposure on the low tide by retreating beneath a rock

Abstract

Fishes exploit the intertidal zone by coming in and out with the high tide or retreating to small pools or sheltering beneath rocks during the low tide. This note reports an observation of a goby, likely Mugilogobius platynotus, out of the water but retreated beneath a rock, with the rising tide returning water to the goby 70 minutes later. During the time of aerial exposure, the sandy mud beneath the rock was noticeably moister than the surrounding mud exposed to sunlight, and pneumatophores and woody debris potentially contributed to maintaining a humid microclimate beneath the rock.