The reproductive biology of the crystal goby with a comparison to that of the transparent goby

A histological analysis of theg gonad of the pelagic crystal goby Crystallogobius linearis, from the coastal central area of the Adriatic Sea, showed it to be a truly semelparous species; after the first spawning the mature gonads of both males and females appeared to have lost the capability for further spawning.Mature females had very low fecundity (200-700 mature oocytes) and small egg size(0.2-0.55 mm) similarly to other progenetic species. This reproductive strategy is compared with that of Aphia minuta, and a possible cause for the post-reproductive mortality of the two gobies is suggested and discussed.