Associations between gobies (Teleostei: Gobiidae and Oxudercidae) and alpheid shrimps (Decapoda: Alpheidae): knowledge status and phylogenetic distribution, with focus on species occurring in the Brazilian coast

• Grant number: 25/14725-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2025
• End date: November 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology
• Principal Investigator: Pedro Pereira Rizzato
• Grantee: Victoria Pinheiro Lima Neme
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Goby (plural: gobies) are small benthonic fishes from the families Gobiidae and Oxudercidae (Teleostei: Gobiiformes) common in marine, brackish, and freshwater environments, with global distribution and occurrence in a large variety of environments. The diversity of habitats is reflected in their high morphological diversity, including of color patterns, as well of life habits and ecological strategies. Some species are known as shrimp gobies for their ecological associations with alpheid shrimps (Decapoda: Alpheidae). More than 120 species of gobies are known to have ecological associations with these crustaceans, most of which are obligatory, with a few cases of facultative associations. Although much studied in the Indo-Pacific, the occurrence and characteristics of these associations in other regions, such as the Brazilian coast, remain poorly known. Furthermore, little is known about the distribution of these associations in the phylogeny of gobies, even though tracing the phylogenetic occurrence of these associations is necessary to better understand the ecological and evolutionary effects of its origin to their diversification. The present study will investigate the occurrence and type of ecological association of gobies with alpheid shrimps, focusing on species occurring in the Brazilian coast, by combining phylogenetic and morphological data to better understand the evolution and patterns of these associations in this group of fishes. As the main result, a compilation of basic information will be provided, which will subsidize discussions (1) on the taxonomic and phylogenetic distribution of the occurrence and kind of association between gobies and shrimps, (2) on the morphological characteristics of color patterns that may be related to the origin and occurrence of these associations, and (3) on the identification of knowledge gaps about these associations in Gobiidae and Oxudercidae. This project is, therefore, intended to contribute to understanding the importance of the development of these associations to the ecology and evolution of one of the most diverse groups of fishes. (AU)