RESEARCH ARTICLE eISSN 2234-1757

Fish Aquat Sci. 2024;27(5):294-305 Fisheries and

https://doi.org/10.47853/FAS.2024.e29 Aquatic Sciences

Diversity and distribution of goby-fry fish in Tomini

Bay, Gorontalo, Indonesia
Femy M. Sahami1, *, Sri Nuryatin Hamzah1, Philippe Keith2, Sitty Ainsyah Habibie1
1
Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Gorontalo 96128, Indonesia
2
Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris 75005, France

Abstract
Tomini Bay in Gorontalo offers significant potential for amphidromous goby-fry, a group of fish found in at least five estuaries in
the area, namely Bone-Bolango, Paguyaman, Bilungala, Tombulilato, and Taludaa Estuaries. Preliminary results were limited to
only two locations in estuarine waters, namely the Bone-Bolango and Paguyaman rivers. Further exploration of goby-fry species
in various locations within Tomini Bay is essential to enhance knowledge about the abundance and aid conservation efforts.
Therefore, this study identified the goby-fry species and created their distribution map in the waters of Tomini Bay Gorontalo.
The samples used were obtained from daily catches of fishermen in the five estuaries during the recruitment period from Feb-
ruary to September 2022. These samples were categorized based on their morphological similarities and specific melanophore
patterns. Distinct groups with different melanophore patterns from those previously reported were identified as newly recorded
species, photographed, and described in terms of their morphology. Furthermore, two specimens from each newly recorded
species underwent molecular identification using the cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene for DNA amplification and were
analyzed through the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) method. The phylogenetic tree was constructed using the Max-
imum Likelihood Method. The results showed the existence of nongoby-fry species caught together with goby fry school. A total
of 75,881 goby-fry and 1,687 nongoby-fry were successfully collected. Among the goby-fry species, 13 were identified, including
three new records, namely Eleotris fusca (Forster, 1801), Sicyopterus microcephalus (Bleeker, 1855), and Sicyopus zosterophorus
(Bleeker, 1856). This study also documented the existence of nongoby-fry species, namely Anguilla celebesensis (Kaup, 1856),
Moringua microchir (Bleeker, 1853), and Microphis leiaspis (Bleeker, 1854). It significantly contributed to the understanding of fish
biodiversity in Tomini Bay.
Keywords: Anguilla celebesensis, Eleotridae, Gobiidae, Moringua microchir, Microphis leiaspis

Introduction bution globally, exhibiting significant variations in morphology,

ecology, and behavior (Keith et al., 2015). It represents most of
Goby is a highly diverse group of fish with a widespread distri- the biodiversity of freshwater systems in the islands of the In-

Received: Aug 4, 2023 Revised: Sep 15, 2023 Accepted: Jan 4, 2024
*Corresponding author: Femy M. Sahami
Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Gorontalo 96128, Indonesia
Tel: +62-435-821125, E-mail: [email protected]
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright © 2024 The Korean Society of Fisheries and Aquatic Science

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do-Pacific region (Keith et al., 2021). The most prominent fish morphology (Shen et al., 2016). The result contributed to the
families in these island river systems are the Gobiidae and Eleo- knowledge of the distribution of Indonesia ichthyofauna. Salam
tridae (Keith et al., 2021), as they primarily consist of freshwater et al. (2016) stated that at least 4 rivers flowed into the waters of
spawning amphidromous species (Mennesson et al., 2015). Tomini Bay, namely Bone-Bolango, Taludaa, Paguyaman, and
Goby amphidromous spawns in freshwater, and the free-float- Marisa. The presence of these rivers indicates a wider distribu-
ing embryos drift downstream to the sea, where it undergoes a tion of gobies. Therefore, this study aims to identify the goby-fry
planktonic phase. Subsequently, goby amphidromous returns to and create the distribution map in the waters of Tomini Bay
rivers for growth and reproduction (Lord et al., 2012). Gorontalo.
Goby-fry fishery has been well-documented in various lo-
cations worldwide, including the Caribbean Sea, Pacific Ocean, Materials and Methods
and Indian Ocean (Castellanos-Galindo et al., 2011). This group
of species has widely recognized ecological and social value, but Sampling
many are at increased risk of local, regional, or global extinction Sampling was conducted in 5 river estuaries in Tomini Bay,
(Arthington et al., 2016). The fishery is often overlooked and ne- Gorontalo, namely Bone-Bolango (0°30’15.30”N–123°3’42.24”E),
glected, even at the national level, where it serves as an alternative Paguyaman (0°30’41.48”N–122°39’8.00”E), Bilungala (0°22’
to the consumption of animal protein at the local level. Addi- 37.24”N–123°12’27.35”E), Tombulilato (0°18’28.11”N
tionally, goby-fry contributes important periodic inputs to local –123°20’53.71”E), and Taludaa (0°20’6.57”N–123°27’42.05”E).
freshwater and marine food webs (Castellanos-Galindo et al., A total of ± 150 mL goby-fry was taken from fishermen catches
2011). According to Nurjirana et al. (2022b), the lack of attention through the use of traditional fishing gears, locally known as du-
and proper management efforts in the fishery can have severe dayahu, tagahu, and totaluo from February to September 2022
implications for the sustainability of goby species in the future. daily during their appearance season at all the observed locations,
These conditions exacerbate the biological fact that goby fish has as shown in Fig. 1. Furthermore, the collected sample was pre-
a complex life cycle (Keith et al., 2015; Mennesson et al., 2015). served in an icebox and taken immediately to the Hydrobioecol-
Regional-level studies on goby fishery plays a crucial role in ogy and Biometrics Laboratory, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine
shaping future policies and approaches concerning the utiliza- Sciences, Gorontalo State University, for identification. The
tion, population quantities, and inter-island connectivity. These sample was identified using the method proposed by Sahami et
studies provided valuable insights that supported the implemen- al. (2019, 2020) as well as Sahami & Habibie (2021). Species with
tation of regional management strategies aimed at conserving the new melanophore patterns were then photographed, followed by
important species (Frotté et al., 2019). Tomini Bay, situated along a description of their morphology, and two specimens from each
the Wallacea-Weber line between the Pacific and Indian Oceans, were taken for molecular analysis.
is the largest bay in Indonesia, boasting a remarkable diversity of
aquatic resources and a rich potential for ichthyofauna. One po- DNA extraction, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifica-
tential fishery of Tomini Bay is goby-fry, which is widely known tion, and sequencing
as duwo or Nike (local name). Olii et al. (2019) identified goby-fry Approximately ± 20 mg of fish muscle tissue in each genetic
species based on genetics in Gorontalo Bay. Additionally, Sahami sample was extracted using a Blood and Tissue Kit (Qiagen,
et al. (2019) and Sahami et al. (2020) studied the genetic diver- Hilden, Germany). The extracted DNA samples were subse-
sity of goby-fry in the area. Studies on goby-fry diversity in Pa- quently subjected to analysis using polymerase chain reaction
guyaman Bay, the estuary of the Paguyaman River, were carried (PCR) with the primer pair FishF1 5’-TCAACCAACCA-
out by Sahami & Habibie (2021). CAAAGACATTGGCAC-3’ and FishR1 5’-TAGACTTCTG-
Efforts to evaluate genetic variation and propose protective GGTGGCCAAAGAATCA-3’ (Ward et al., 2005), targeting
measures are crucial, specifically in the face of significant chang- the cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene. According to
es in the habitat environment that can threaten the survival of Aquilino et al. (2011) and Hebert et al. (2003), COI can distin-
fish species (Shen et al., 2016). This study carried out genetic guish species with vague or similar morphology. The samples
identification to overcome the ineffectiveness of traditional were then subjected to amplification through predenaturation
morphological identification in goby-fry without distinctive at 94℃ for 3 minutes, denaturation at 94℃ for 30 seconds,

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Fig. 1. Sampling locations and species distribution map in Tomini Bay, Gorontalo.

primary annealing at 50℃ for 30 seconds, elongation at 72℃ logenetic tree was constructed by aligning the DNA sequences
for 60 seconds and final elongation at 72℃ for 2 minutes, with of the sample with those obtained from the GenBank data-
a total of 38 cycles. Finally, the samples were sequenced using base comprising accession numbers MN065178, MN069305,
the Dideoxy Sanger Termination Method at Genetika Science MN069306, MN069307, MN069308, MT706639, MT706640,
Jakarta Company. MT706641, MT706720, MT706721, MT706722, MT706723,
MT706724, MT706725, MT706726, MT706791, MZ401475,
Data analysis HQ639043, KC959856, KF668859, KU232392, KU693053,
The nucleotide sequences from DNA sequencing processed KU693055, and MT646835, for certain validations. Phylogenet-
using CONTIG were matched with the database available at ic tree construction was made using the Maximum Likelihood
GenBank (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) with the Basic Local 1000 bootstrap method in MEGAX (Molecular Evolutionary
Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) method. The nucleotide se- Genetic Analysis, Pennsylvania State University, University
quences data of the goby-fry and nongoby-fry species identified Park, PA, USA) software (Kumar et al., 2018).
in this study were deposited into the NCBI database with acces-
sion numbers OQ137037, OQ137038, OQ137176, OQ137248, Results
OQ137259, OQ137260, OQ137270, OQ152445, OQ137029,
OQ137041, and OQ137043. Subsequently, the goby-fry phy- A total of 75,881 goby-fry and 1,687 non-goby-fry samples were

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Femy M. Sahami, et al.
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successfully collected from five river estuaries in Tomini Bay, schools, namely Eleotris fusca, Sicyopterus microcephalus, and
Gorontalo City, Gorontalo Regency, and Bone Bolango Regen- Sicyopus zosterophorus. The identification process involved an-
cy. These samples belonged to Eleotridae and Gobiidae of the alyzing melanophore patterns and COI DNA gene analysis, as
goby family, and accounted for 10.164% and 87.661% of the fish shown in Table 1. Interestingly, the results stated that E. fusca
group. The three main families of non-goby, included in this re- was not found in the Taludaa Estuary, while S. microcephalus
search are Anguillidae, Moringuidae, and Syngnathidae, which was absent in both the Paguyaman and Taludaa Estuaries. S.
made up 2.166%, 0.003%, and 0.006%. Among the collected zosterophorus was distributed across five different fishing loca-
goby samples, a total of five and eight species were identified in tions in Tomini Bay. Furthermore, this study made an exciting
the Eleotridae, and Gobiidae families, respectively. The distribu- discovery of new melanophore patterns for B. gyrinoides, as
tion of these species across the five observed locations is shown shown in Fig. 2. This result provided valuable information
in Table 1. about the characteristics of this species in the area.
The study identified three species as constituent goby-fry The captured E. fusca specimens have an elongated and

Table 1. Distribution of the species constituting the goby-fry in Tomini Bay, Gorontalo
Study locations Family Species Appearance period
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
Bone-Bolango estuary Eleotridae Belobranchus belobranchus + + – + + + + –
Belobranchus segura + + – + – + + –
Bunaka gyrinoides – – – + – + + –
Eleotris melanosoma – – – – – – + –
Eleotris fusca + – – + – – + –
Gobiidae Awaous ocellaris – – – + – + – –
Sicyopterus cynocephalus + + – + + + + –
Sicyopterus lagocephalus + + – + – + + –
Sicyopterus longifilis + + – + + + + –
Sicyopterus microcephalus – – – – – + – –
Sicyopterus parvei + + – + + + + –
Sicyopus zosterophorus – – – – – – + –
Stiphodon semoni + + – + + + + –
Total spesies = 13
Bilungala estuary Eleotridae Belobranchus belobranchus – – – + – + – +
Belobranchus segura – – – + – + – +
Bunaka gyrinoides – – – – – – – –
Eleotris melanosoma – – – – – – – –
Eleotris fusca – – – – – + – –
Gobiidae Awaous ocellaris – – – – – + – –
Sicyopterus cynocephalus – – – + – + – –
Sicyopterus lagocephalus – – – + – + – +
Sicyopterus longifilis – – – + – + – +
Sicyopterus microcephalus – – – – – + – –
Sicyopterus parvei – – – + – + – +
Sicyopus zosterophorus – – – – – + – –
Stiphodon semoni – – – + – + – +
Total = 11

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Table 1. Continued
Study locations Family Species Appearance period
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
Tombulilato estuary Eleotridae Belobranchus belobranchus + + – – – + – –
Belobranchus segura + + – – – + – –
Bunaka gyrinoides – + – – – + – –
Eleotris melanosoma – – – – – – – –
Eleotris fusca – – – – – + – –
Gobiidae Awaous ocellaris + – – – – – – –
Sicyopterus cynocephalus + + – – – + – –
Sicyopterus lagocephalus + + – – – + – –
Sicyopterus longifilis + + – – – + – –
Sicyopterus microcephalus – + – – – + – –
Sicyopterus parvei – + – – – – – –
Sicyopus zosterophorus – – – – – + – –
Stiphodon semoni + + – – – + – –
Total = 13
Taludaa estuary Eleotridae Belobranchus belobranchus – – – + + + – +
Belobranchus segura – – – + + + – +
Bunaka gyrinoides – – – – – – – –
Eleotris melanosoma – – – – – – – –
Eleotris fusca – – – – – – – –
Gobiidae Awaous ocellaris – – – – – – – –
Sicyopterus cynocephalus – – – + + + – +
Sicyopterus lagocephalus – – – + – + – +
Sicyopterus longifilis – – – + + + – +
Sicyopterus microcephalus – – – – – – – –
Sicyopterus parvei – – – + + + – +
Sicyopus zosterophorus – – – – – – – –
Stiphodon semoni – – – + – + – +
Total = 7
Paguyaman estuary Eleotridae Belobranchus belobranchus – – – – + + + +
Belobranchus segura – – – – + + + +
Bunaka gyrinoides – – – – + + + –
Eleotris melanosoma – – – – + + + +
Eleotris fusca – – – – + + – +
Gobiidae Awaous ocellaris – – – – – – + –
Sicyopterus cynocephalus – – – – + + + –
Sicyopterus lagocephalus – – – – + + – –
Sicyopterus longifilis – – – – + + + +
Sicyopterus microcephalus – – – – – – – –
Sicyopterus parvei – – – – + + + +
Sicyopus zosterophorus – – – – – + – –
Stiphodon semoni – – – – + + + +
Total = 12

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Fig. 2. New record for the melanophore patterns of the species constituting the goby-fry in Tomini Bay, Gorontalo.

compressed body shape, a transparent body, a lack of scales, a significant discovery on goby-fry species, and nongoby-fry
and an emarginate caudal fin. In E. fusca, this was confirmed species mixed with schooling goby-fry. Non-goby-fry spec-
through nucleotide sequence analysis, which revealed two dis- imens were grouped into three distinct categories based on
tinct melanophore patterns. The first melanophore pattern was their morphological appearance. These three species, namely
depicted by dots stacked on the head, near the base of the tail, Anguilla celebesensis, Moringua microchir, and Microphis leias-
and on the ventral side of the body. There are also two thick- pis, were observed and captured alongside the goby-fry school
ened melanophores on the ventral side, one erythrophore in within the river body, as shown in Fig. 3. Interestingly, the
the form of a vertical line, and two erythrophore dots on the occurrence of these three nongoby-fry species varies in each
back near the tail were visible. The second pattern formed an location. A. celebesensis was found in 3 out of 5 study locations,
arrow-like shape, extending from the tail to the body parallel to namely Bone-Bolango, Bilungala, and Paguyaman Estuary. Fur-
the pectoral fin. This pattern also included two thickened mela- thermore, M. leiaspis was found in the Bone-Bolango and the
nophores on the ventral side and two erythrophore dots on the Paguyaman Estuary, while M. microchir was only found in the
back approaching the tail, similar to the first E. fusca pattern. Paguyaman Estuary. This observation represents the first docu-
S. microcephalus is characterized by an uncompressed mented instance of such a phenomenon in this specific region,
shape, a transparent body, a horseshoe-shaped melanophore adding valuable new information to the understanding of the
on its back, a lack of scales, and a caudal fin that tends to form aquatic ecosystem in Tomini Bay.
a truncate shape. Meanwhile, S. zosterophorus has an elongat- Both A. celebesensis and M. microchir belong to the Anguil-
ed and compressed body shape with a unique melanophore liformes group and were captured during the glass eel phase,
pattern that forms a thin horizontal line along the lateral one. characterized by their transparent body. However, these are
Furthermore, B. gyrinoides shows melanophore dots, which ac- distinguished by A. celebesensis and M. microchir different mela-
cumulate on the head and body near the base of the tail. There nophore patterns. A. celebesensis is characterized by a pattern of
were also thicker dots along the tail, arranged horizontally on melanophores spreading on its tail buds. Whereas M. microchir,
the lateral line. also known as spaghetti eels, lacks a melanophore pattern on
The study conducted in Tomini Bay, Gorontalo, reported its tail buds. In terms of appearance, M. microchir has a trans-

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Fig. 3. Nongoby-fry species which school together with goby-fry in Tomini Bay, Gorontalo.

parent body with relatively thick melanophore dots arranged at by-fry schools in Gorontalo Bay (Bone-Bolango estuary), a
a distance from the linea lateralis. These dots extend from near total of eight species have been documented from previous in-
the tail to the middle of the body. Furthermore, this species is vestigations. These species include S. longifilis (Olii et al., 2019;
recognized by its long, extremely slender, rigid body structure, Sahami et al., 2020), S. cynocephalus, B. gyrinoides, and B. segura
and lengthy tubular brownish snout. These distinctive charac- (Sahami et al., 2019), as well as S. parvei, B. belobranchus, S.
teristics are essential for identifying and differentiating the two semoni, and S. lagocephalus (Sahami et al., 2020). In the waters
species in the Anguilliformes group during the glass eel phase. of Paguyaman Bay (Bilato estuary), seven goby-fry species have
The results of the DNA sequence alignment of the goby-fry been reported, namely S. longifilis, S. parvei, S. cynocephalus, S.
species in Tomini Bay, Gorontalo, were presented as a phylo- semoni, B. segura, B. belobranchus, and E. melanosoma (Sahami
genetic tree in Fig. 4. Furthermore, the analysis revealed two & Habibie, 2021). Three new species, namely E. fusca, S. micro-
distinct monophyletic clades. The first monophyletic clade of cephalus, and S. zosterophorus, were identified as constituents of
gobies consists of species in the family Gobiidae. It is further the goby-fry hordes in the waters of Tomini Bay. These results
divided into subclades, namely S. lagocephalus and S. cyno- have significantly increased the level of species diversity in these
cephalus in the first subclade, S. parvei in the second subclade, waters. Additionally, this study also provided a first-time report
S. longifilis and S. microcephalus in the third subclade, S. zos- on the distribution of goby-fry schools in the estuaries of the
terophorus, and S. semoni in the fourth subclade, as well as A. Paguyaman, Bilungala, and Tombulilato Rivers in Tomini Bay,
ocellaris in the fifth subclade. The second monophyletic clade Gorontalo. The existence of rivers that flow into the waters of
consists of species in the Eleotridae family. This includes E. fus- Tomini Bay, Gorontalo, further clarifies the distribution of am-
ca and E. melanosoma in the first subclade, as well as B. gyrinoi- phidromous goby-fry in this region, as shown in Fig. 1. Goby is
des, which have a close relationship with B. belobranchus and B. a fish family with the highest species richness, but limited stud-
segura in the second subclade. The phylogenetic tree provides a ies have been carried out on the biological aspects, including
clear visualization of the evolutionary relationships and genetic genetic diversity (Čekovská et al., 2020), in Indonesian waters.
similarities among the goby-fry species in Tomini Bay. It offers This group of fish holds significant importance as a target for
valuable insights into these species genetic diversity and related- consumption, specifically during the migration back to the river
ness within their respective families. (Nurjirana et al., 2020). The ongoing investigation and discover-
ies contribute to a better understanding of the intricate dynam-
Discussion ics and biodiversity of goby-fry in Gorontalo Bay.
B. gyrinoides pattern previously researched by Sahami et al.
Since the initiation of the study on the genetic diversity of go- (2019), is different from the one in this research. In this study,

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Fig. 4. The phylogenetic tree of the goby-fry in Tomini Bay, Gorontalo.

melanophore dots of B. gyrinoides were piled up close to the and natural dichromatism (Sahami et al., 2020).
head and body near the base of the tail. Thicker dots were also The captured E. fusca specimens have almost identical
found along the tail, arranged horizontally on the lateral line. morphological characteristics to E. melanosoma, namely an
Sahami et al. (2019) stated that the melanophore dots found in elongated and compressed shape, a transparent body, a lack of
B. gyrinoides exhibited almost covered the entire body. Its vari- scales, and an emarginate caudal fin (Sahami & Habibie, 2021).
ations are influenced by factors such as the environment, age, However, a distinguishing feature between the two species was

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the presence of a different melanophore pattern. This study the dominance of the Gobiidae family over the postlarvae group
found two distinct melanophore patterns of E. fusca, which was also found in West Sulawesi waters (Nurjirana et al., 2020).
confirmed genetically. These distinct melanophore patterns Several nongoby-fry species, namely A. celebesensis, M. microchir,
played a relevant role in confirming the species as E. fusca and and M. leiaspis, were reported for the first time in this study as
distinguishing them from closely related species such as E. mel- schooling groups along with goby-fry during migration from the
anosoma. The results shed light on the unique characteristics sea waters of Tomini Bay, Gorontalo to estuaries. In the waters of
and identification of E. fusca in the studied region. West Sulawesi, large numbers of migrating goby postlarvae were
E. fusca, a widely distributed amphidromous species in occasionally accompanied by eel larvae (Nurjirana et al., 2020).
the Indo-Pacific region, undergoes a life cycle characterized by However, specific eel species and their morphological character-
a pelagic larval phase in the sea, followed by returning to the istics are yet to be reported. Eel larvae have significant economic
river for growth and reproduction (Mennesson et al., 2015). value to fishermen, making this study relevant for understanding
Despite its broad distribution, this species has been classified as their presence and ecological impact. This study provides valuable
endangered in Reunion Island (UICN France et al., 2013) due insights into the local aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem dynam-
to habitat degradation and hydrological shifts, which have the ics by uncovering the dynamic interactions between goby-fry and
potential to impede post-hatching emigration and post-larval eel larvae populations.
recruitment immigration (Arthington et al., 2016; Mennesson A. celebesensis was found in the West Pacific Ocean, span-
et al., 2015). These threats pose significant challenges to the sur- ning from Indonesia to the Southern Philippines, with a prom-
vival and population of E. fusca in the area. inent presence in the Celebes Sea and Tomini Bay (UNEP-WC-
S. microcephalus and S. zosterophorus belong to the Gobi- MC, 2015). This fish has a catadromous migration pattern, with
idae family. A distinctive feature of S. microcephalus is a horse- the adult individuals spawning in seawater, while the hatched
shoe-shaped melanophore pattern on its back, which is not eggs develop into leptocephalus and eventually metamorphose
found in other Sicyopterus species (Sahami et al., 2019, 2020). into glass eels. The samples then migrate to fresh waters, where
The species S. microcephalus has been reported to be distributed they continue to grow into yellow and silver eels. Once mature,
in the waters of the Luwuk Banggai River (Gani et al., 2019), these eels return to the sea to spawn again (Arai et al., 2003).
as well as the sea waters of Lariang Village, both in Sulawesi, Eels usually undergoe significant morphological changes in its
Indonesia (Nurjirana et al., 2022a). On the other hand, S. zos- planktonic phase, namely leptocephalus. Despite maintaining
terophorus can be found in various locations, ranging from a round and elongated body shape, the color and size exhibit
Sumatra (Indonesia) to South Japan, Vanuatu, and New Cale- variations (Ndobe et al., 2019). A visible backbone characterizes
donia (Keith et al., 2015). It is also found in Koyoan, Sulawesi, the glass eel phase because the body is still transparent. Melano-
Indonesia (Gani et al., 2019), eight rivers in the Luwuk Banggai phores also form on the head and tail, with variations observed
(Gani et al., 2019), and Simpong (Gani et al., 2021). This species between species (Silvfergrip, 2009). This pattern distinguishes
inhabits clear, fast-flowing rivers with pebbly water substrates A. celebesensis from A. japonica, and they both lack melano-
(Keith et al., 2015). Taillebois et al. (2013) conducted spatial phores on the fins and caudal buds, as well as Anguilla bicolor
analyses of genetic variation in S. zosterophorum, revealing pacifica, which bears markings solely on the caudal fin (Leander
strong isolation across the Torres Strait, which once served as et al., 2012). Although Leander et al. (2012) reported that A.
a geologically intermittent land barrier connecting Australia to celebesensis, Anguilla luzonensis, and Anguilla marmorata have
Papua New Guinea. A clear genetic break was found between similar melanophore pattern in their tail buds, the species iden-
the northwestern and the southwestern clusters in S. zosteropho- tification were further strengthened through genetic analysis of
rum. These results provide valuable insights into the population the DNA, which identified these species as A. celebesensis. The
structure and genetic diversity of this species across its wide combination of morphological and genetic analyses provides a
distribution range. robust and reliable method for accurate species identification
In Gorontalo, goby-fry has been reported to form schools of and classification.
postlarvae and juveniles from the Gobiidae and Eleotridae family, Several studies consistently reported that the spawning
with a higher dominance of the Gobiidae family (Olii et al., 2019; locations of A. celebesensis are in the high seas of Sulawesi and
Sahami & Habibie, 2021; Sahami et al., 2019, 2020). Similarly, Tomini Bay, Central Sulawesi (Aoyama et al., 2003). This result

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is in line with this present study, confirming the distribution of distributed across the river estuaries in Tomini Bay, Gorontalo.
this species in the estuaries of the Tomini Bay area of Gorontalo, The remaining six species, namely A. ocellaris, E. melanosoma,
including Bone-Bolango, Gorontalo City; Bilungala, Bone Bol- B. gyrinoides, S. microcephalus, E. fusca, and S. parvei, were not
ango Regency; and Paguyaman estuary, Gorontalo Regency. A. found in all the study locations. In addition, an interesting oc-
celebesensis was reported to be distributed in various locations, currence of nongoby-fry schooling and goby-fry species, specif-
such as the Poso and Poigar Rivers, Sulawesi, Cagayan River, ically A. celebesensis, M. microchir, and M. leiaspis, was also dis-
Philippines (Arai et al., 2003), Palu estuary (Ndobe et al., 2019), covered. This study marks the initiation of molecular reference
Lake Tondano (Kottelat et al., 2013), as well as Poso Rivers and libraries for goby-fry fish in Tomini Bay, Gorontalo. Enhancing
Lakes (Hagihara et al., 2018). However, this species were not these libraries requires further exploration of other fishing loca-
reported in Tomini Bay, Gorontalo. Hewavitharane et al. (2018) tions. Comparing recruitment, understanding associated spe-
stated that A. celebesensis recruitment occur yearly, and mi- cies, and comprehending the biological cycle of amphidromous
gration downstream typically starts from the beginning to the species are vital steps to manage and conserve these organisms
middle of the rainy season, as observed in the waters of Lake for sustainable fishery effectively. Such comprehensive efforts
Poso, Sulawesi, Indonesia (Hagihara et al., 2018). This species are essential to promote conservation practices and responsible
was also included in the Near Threatened (NT) category based management in the region.
on the 2014 IUCN classification (UNEP-WCMC, 2015).
M. microchir is distinguished by its elongated and tapered Competing interests
body shape complemented by small pectoral fins. The juveniles No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was re-
have an orange-yellow back and bluish belly, while the adults ported.
have a brown color on their backs and a lighter belly (Eudeline,
2022). Furthermore, the distribution of M. microchir spans Funding sources
various regions, from South and East Africa, Seychelles, Mad- This study was supported by the Directorate General of Higher
agascar, and East Mauritius to Samoa, the north of the Ryukyu Education, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Tech-
Islands, the south of the Great Barrier Reef (Australia), and nology of Indonesia through the Higher Education Excellence
New Caledonia (Fricke et al., 2018). This species has also been Basic Research scheme for the 2022 fiscal year with contract
found in Ambon and Sumatra, Indonesia (Kottelat et al., 2013). number: 120/E5/PG.02.00.PT/2022.
Despite these records, information on the distribution of M.
microchir in Sulawesi waters remains limited (Miesen et al., Acknowledgements
2016). These species have also been observed in the waters of The authors are grateful to the Nike fishermen in the waters of
the Kolobangara River, a priority site on Choiseul Island (Keith Tomini Bay, Gorontalo who assisted in the sampling process.
et al., 2015, 2016, 2021). M. leiaspis exhibits an amphidromous The authors are also grateful to all parties who contributed by
migration pattern (Ishihara & Tachihara, 2008) such as a go- providing technical assistance during the study.
by-fry fish, where larvae that have just hatched in river waters
experience a phase of life in the sea. During the postlarvae Availability of data and materials
stage, they return to river waters for growth and reproduction. Upon reasonable request, the datasets of this study can be avail-
This amphidromous migration pattern adds an interesting di- able from the corresponding author.
mension to the life cycle of the species and contributes to the
intriguing ecological dynamics surrounding M. leiaspis. Ethics approval and consent to participate
Effective habitat conservation at the local scale should be This article does not require IRB/IACUC approval, because the
complemented by broader management strategies that consider fish samples that we used in our research were collected from
the distribution of organisms (Frotté et al., 2019). Understand- local fishermen at fish landing site and the samples have already
ing the distribution patterns, basic topology, and local physical died. Regarding DNA analysis for the fish samples, we were fol-
environment serve as a critical framework for marine zooge- lowing standard procedur of Ward et al. (2005) as stated on our
ography (Murase et al., 2017). The results of this study implied manuscript.
that among the 13 species of gobi-fry, seven of them were

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 Diversity and distribution of goby-fry fish
Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

ORCID Gani A, Bakri AA, Adriany DT, Nurjirana N, Herjayanto M,

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Sri Nuryatin Hamzah https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0745-1261 cies from the Biak and Koyoan rivers, Luwuk Banggai,
Philippe Keith https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1600-4909 Central Sulawesi. J Ilmu Kelautan Spermonde. 2019;5:57-
Sitty Ainsyah Habibie https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8522-9741 60.
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