Fish of the Thorogobius genus of the Gobiinae (true gobies) subfamily of the Gobiidae family of the Gobiiformes order of the Percomorpha clade of the Acanthopterygii superorder.
(Leopard-spotted goby. Photo by © Stefano Guerrieri. naturamediterraneo.com)
Leopard–spotted goby (Thorogobius ephippiatus) was first described in 1810 by the British priest and naturalist Richard Thomas Lowe (1802—1874).
It inhabits the depth of 6-40 meters, usually 6-12 meters. It occurs near the rocky coasts. The maximum recorded length is 13 cm. It feeds on crustaceans, gastropods, and algae.
(Leopard-spotted goby. Photo by © Paul Kay. marinewildlife.co.uk)
It is a permanent inhabitant of the Adriatic Sea.
Names of leopard–spotted goby (Thorogobius ephippiatus) in other languages as follows:
Черно попче (Cherno popche) (Bulgarian), Luipaardgrondel (Dutsh), Λεοπαρδαλογωβιός (Leopardaljogovios) (Greek), Ghiozzo leopardo (Italian), Leopardengrundel (German), Леопардовый бычок (Leopardovyj bychok) (Russian), Gujoč leopard, Glavoč leopard (Serbian, Croatian), Gobie-léopard (French).