Nest use by the common goby Pomatoschistus microps in Camargue (France)

Abstract

Nest site use by the common goby, Pomatoschistus microps was investigated in the Malagroy lagoon (France, Camargue) during a complete breeding season. Male common gobies seemed to select their nests in relation to their size, as a positive relationship between male total length and nest area was found. No significant relationship was found between the number of eggs in a nest and the size of nesting male, suggesting that female common goby did not show a preference for larger males. Nests containing two distinct eggs clutches were observed for the first time. The percentage of double clutched nests was relatively high in June-July, when only young-of-the-year common gobies were observed to reproduce. Large nesting males reproduced first in the season (in February- March), but they were not observed to reproduce again in July. Instead they were replaced by small males born early in spring.