Fig. 1.

The round goby, an invasive benthic fish. a Wild-caught round goby in aquaria. Individuals usually feature a light gray or gray-brown mottled coloration, with a characteristic black dot on the first dorsal fin. Adults measure between 8 and 20 cm. During the reproductive season, males may become territorial and develop a black body color (first panel). b Phylogenetic position of the round goby among fishes. The round goby is a neoteleost and member of the Percomorpha. c Current geographical distribution of round goby. The round goby has spread from its native region (green) in the Ponto-Caspian area in Eurasia to many European rivers and lakes, the Baltic Sea, the Great Lakes and their tributaries (orange). d The growing relevance of the species as research model is reflected by increasing publication numbers. Web of Science records on round goby (orange) have risen since its first detection in the Great Lakes in contrast to records on a non-invasive fish with similar ecology (European bullhead, Cottus gobio; gray)